Stream: WAVEZ 102
Time: 12:15 - 13:00
Mainframes are serious business. But learning them doesn’t have to be dry, corporate, or boring as hell. Sometimes the best way to really get it is to ditch the structured training and just build something weird. That’s exactly what I did. Armed with a dumb idea, solving the utterly pressing problem of having way too many Lego trains to control manually, and zero regard for best practices, I stumbled into a crash course in configuring z/OS, convincing CICS to cooperate, getting a database up and running, duct-taping together APIs, and forcing it all to integrate in ways no sane architect would recommend. This mess of a project forced me to break down intimidating systems into manageable parts, Google like a maniac, write questionable code that somehow worked, and figure out how all the components talk under the hood. It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t planned. But it worked (and that’s the point). This isn’t a clean lab demo or a polished vendor pitch, it’s messy, chaotic, and powered by pure curiosity. If you’ve ever looked at CICS and thought, “Wouldn’t it be wild if I could hook that up to this?” - you’re in the right place. This talk isn’t just about a weird project with Lego trains, it’s about how playing around can level up your skills, keep you from burning out, and even give you a front-row seat to where the tech is headed. Because sometimes, chasing a ridiculous idea is the only way to accidentally get really damn good at what you do.
There is currently no attachment for Lego and CICS: Learn by doing
Email: me@ljaks.com
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