Open Mainframe Summit 2022

As the current generation of mainframe developers retire, how should companies integrate the next generation with their current development staff. If companies hope to retain new developers, they will have to adapt to how the new generation has learned to code. As well as the tools they use such as Eclipse, VS Code and GIT to the 3270 world and mainframe SCMs that the greatest generation of mainframe developers use. Many organizations may be more concerned with the problem of maintaining and enhancing code written in a "mainframe" language such as Cobol. Where are they going to find programmers to write Cobol? They should be more concerned about the tools and interfaces they are offering to their prospective new hires. Every CompSci graduate has learned the basic constructs of code. You can teach them to code in Cobol in less than a month. However, they have become comfortable and efficient coding in their interface of choice which is not the 3270 emulator. The next generation needs a set of tools and interfaces they are familiar with. These decisions will affect the productivity, morale and retention. In this talk we will explore the challenges that companies are facing today and how they can best excel with both the next generation and the greatest generation.