Tools such as the green screens of ISPF and the Eclipse desktop IDE, enhanced with proprietary plug-ins, have served mainframe application developers well over the years and, for those comfortable with them, will continue to do so. However, changes in the broader world of development are creating the conditions for a revolution in mainframe tooling.
First, mainframe developers are aging out of the workforce, leaving behind extensive code libraries and a workforce skills gap. Those likely to back-fill these roles know and love modern IDEs, especially Visual Studio Code, while the popularity of Eclipse is waning. For example, the annual Stack Overflow Developer Survey found that, over the past year, the popularity of Visual Studio Code grew from 35% to 51%, once again making it the most popular IDE, while Eclipse fell from 19% to 14%. According to Business Insider, 8.5 million developers worldwide use VS Code, creating a huge talent pool.
Second, application development has made great strides in productivity since the current mainframe dev tools were created, especially in DevOps automation with enablers like task runners, scripting and testing frameworks. The Stack Overflow survey cites scripting language Python as the most sought-after skill among developers, by far.
Finally, as the velocity of overall software delivery increases, mainframe is a critical component of digital transformation initiatives. According to 451 Research, 24% of companies are releasing application software daily or hourly while, similarly, DORA’s 2019 State of DevOps survey shows 20% of teams are deploying multiple times per day. Software delivery expectations have changed with continuous deployment becoming the new normal and, to remain a vital computing platform for the long term, mainframe app development needs to support this paradigm.
An Open Source and Cloud Development Technology
Rather than an evolution of the existing Eclipse IDE, Eclipse Che is a radical departure. According to the Eclipse Foundation, “Che 7 is the world’s first Kubernetes-native IDE that’s built from the ground up for cloud native application development. It simplifies and accelerates cloud development by allowing developers who are not Kubernetes experts to immediately contribute to cloud native application development efforts. In turn, Che 7 relies upon Eclipse Theia, which provides a highly modular and extensible IDE platform built on modern web technologies that runs on both your desktop or in your browser.”
For large enterprises, a good analogy for key value proposition of a hosted IDE is Git: usability and collaborative power have made Git the de facto standard for version control and Che’s workspace server offers comparable benefits.
Developers working on mainframe applications can use Che via the Che4z subproject. Che4z, whose primary goal is to bring a modern developer experience to mainframe software development, offers an extension pack providing access to the z/OS file system, remote debug and remote editing of COBOL programs with all the expected modern editor capabilities including syntax highlighting, code assist and real time syntax validation. After a beta period, Che4z is now GA.
Beyond the foundational benefits mentioned above, Che is revolutionary for the mainframe for many reasons.
Visual Studio Code and More
Che was architected around a VS Code-like experience from the outset which, with the growth of VS Code, means Che extends its value. Che is based on Eclipse Theia which provides an in-browser VS Code experience complete with the latest tooling protocols: language server, debug adapter and compatibility with VS Code extensions.
The Che4z sub-project, contributed by Broadcom, provides language support for both COBOL and High Level Assembler (HLASM). The language server protocol (LSP) enables developers to use these languages with Che, VS Code and any other LSP clients (e.g., IntelliJ, VIM, Emacs).
Bottom line: developers can use VS Code for mainframe development independent of Che adoption (the Code4z extension pack is available on the VS Code marketplace).
Cross-Platform Applications
For many Fortune 500 companies, the mainframe hosts critical system-of-record applications and data while the cloud and mobile applications have evolved from user-oriented systems-of-experience. With tech-first startups disrupting entire industries, large companies are deploying more cross-platform applications to maintain, if not win, market share by harnessing the best of both worlds. Cross-platform apps combine modern user experiences with the transactional power and data assets of mainframes.
Because cloud and mobile developers need to integrate mainframe applications, allowing them to use the tools they know and love is critical. This includes the popular code editors and IDEs they love today as well as the new innovations, such as browser-based, container deployed tools that make them more productive.
With its workspace server, Che also facilitates pair programming, which is a powerful approach when mainframe and distributed developers need to collaborate on cross-platform applications.
Bottom line: Che makes the mainframe less of a silo and more like other platforms.
Open Source-Enabled Vendor Independence
While open source is not new to the mainframe–zLinux has been around for years–access to off-platform toolchains became possible with the introduction of the Zowe open source framework (described in more detail below). Unlike the incumbent Eclipse vendors, and consistent with the open source vision, the Che4z extensions are open sourced and free to use. There is now an alternative to the proprietary, vendor-controlled model: true open source tooling for mainframe developers.
Furthermore, Eclipse locked mainframe developers into using a specific set of editors, runtimes and user interfaces for required capability and functionality–thus imposing a steep learning curve. Che, by comparison, offers flexibility via modular design, allowing individual developers to choose the components they need.
Whether developing for mainframe or other platforms, the Che community welcomes contributions from those passionate about software development. Want to incorporate a lesser-used language? No need to plead with a vendor. Anyone can seek community support for an idea or simply do it themselves. The Che/Che4z communities will ensure the proper procedures are followed before any code is ever released.
Bottom line: Che provides a more frictionless, fast-moving toolset allowing coding innovations to extend to the mainframe.
Onboarding and Cost Reduction
Consider the compatibility and maintenance headaches created by the heavyweight plugins required for Eclipse. For mainframe leaders, the need to reduce costs is an ongoing challenge as is the need to quickly onboard the next-generation of developers. As a container-based IDE with no client footprint, Che eliminates the need for local installation, maintenance and configuration. The potential of moving entire teams currently using Eclipse with customizations to Che provides an attractive opportunity to materially reduce operating costs while simultaneously improving developer productivity.
Because Che workspaces are containerized, new team members can onboard instantly–open the container, begin work. This means developers, who are high cost resources, can more easily move across projects, teams, departments, etc.
Bottom line: For mainframe leaders focused on staffing and costs, Che increases the talent pool while eliminating costs.
Built on Zowe
The extensions that open the mainframe to the Che IDE are powered by the Open Mainframe Project’s Zowe open source framework, which maintains mainframe-native security standards. Zowe, which was founded by Broadcom, IBM and Rocket Software and is the first open source project based on z/OS, enables developers to manage, control, script and develop on the mainframe just like cloud and other platforms.
Command line interfaces (CLIs), which come with platforms such as AWS and Azure, are popular with developers wanting the productivity lift of task runners, scripting and higher levels of automation (i.e., CLIs facilitate DevOps adoption). The Zowe CLI (the mainframe equivalent) magnifies the value of the Che4z stack as any set of commands that run through the CLI can be automated.
Bottom line: Using Zowe as the foundation for the Che4z mainframe extensions ensures the modern experience extends far beyond the IDE.
Path Forward
For leaders wanting to empower developers integrating mainframe code and resources with the most popular and powerful app development tools, Che provides the best of both worlds–the immediacy of VS Code use with the path to full-on, in-the-cloud team collaboration.
Expanded tool choice, greater alignment with off-platform peers and DevOps-fueled software delivery are all reasons why Che is not only the first Kubernetes-native IDE, but a real revolution for mainframe development.
