Stop Calling It “Green Screen”: Why This Lazy Label Holds IBM i Back

 Stop Calling It “Green Screen”: Why This Lazy Label Holds IBM i Back

The RPG Blend — Real Code, Real Coffee, No Nonsense

Today’s brew: Dunkin’ Medium Roast — my golden standard. Dependable, smooth, and just the right kick to start a serious conversation.


In my last article, “What Should We Call the IBM i?”, I laid out the case for naming a platform that’s evolved far beyond its origins. But today, I want to confront a stubborn, frustrating habit: calling IBM i the “green screen.”

This isn’t just a harmless nickname. It’s a damaging label that misrepresents what IBM i is and holds back the platform, its users, and the entire ecosystem.

It’s time to call it out — and stop it.


Calling IBM i “Green Screen” Is Lazy and Outdated

Let me be blunt: calling IBM i the “green screen” is lazy shorthand used by people who don’t understand the platform. It’s the equivalent of describing a gourmet breakfast as “just toast and hot water.”

The green screen interface (5250 terminal) is decades old. It's not the definition of IBM i — it's a fragment of its long story. But this mislabel has stuck like syrup on an Eggo waffle, and it keeps dragging the platform down.

If you're still calling IBM i the green screen, you're selling it short. You're ignoring:

  • DB2 for i — a fully integrated, enterprise-grade relational database that rivals anything else in the industry.
  • Modern RPG — free-form syntax, procedures, embedded SQL, modular design.
  • Open-source integration — Python, Node.js, PHP, and others running natively.
  • Web APIs and cloud capabilities — REST, JSON, secure endpoints.
  • Security, auditing, and uptime — IBM i runs systems that have to work 24/7.
  • Containers, DevOps, and CI/CD — yes, they’re possible (and being done).

The Eggo Waffle Analogy

If you think IBM i is just a green screen, you're stuck in the past.

Today’s IBM i is that dependable breakfast combo you lean on to start your day: an Eggo waffle, real maple syrup, and strong coffee. Simple? Yes. But powerful, consistent, and ready to fuel serious work every day.

It’s not flashy. It doesn’t try to be trendy. It just performs — day after day, release after release — with ridiculous reliability.


Why We Can’t Let the Mislabel Continue

This isn’t just about branding. This nickname has real consequences:

  • It scares off younger developers who don’t want to work on “old” technology.
  • It keeps CIOs from investing, thinking IBM i is on life support.
  • It undermines confidence in what modern RPG developers and teams can actually deliver.
  • It feeds internal bias within organizations, creating a divide between “legacy” and “modern” that shouldn’t exist.

Rebrand the Work, Not Just the Platform

We need to talk about what IBM i professionals actually do.

RPG developers aren't sitting behind CRT monitors coding with punch cards. They are:

  • Managing batch jobs, real-time processing, and APIs
  • Maintaining data integrity, access security, and uptime SLAs
  • Writing and refactoring modern, free-form code
  • Designing end-to-end solutions across DB2, RPG, CL, SQL, and external integrations
  • Deploying web apps, mobile backends, and microservices
  • Supporting business logic that runs entire industries

Let’s start calling RPG developers what they are: Platform Engineers, Integration Specialists, Backend Architects, and Enterprise Software Engineers.

Because that’s the work they’re doing.


What to Say Instead

Want to change the conversation? Use language that reflects reality:

  • “IBM i platform”
  • “IBM i ecosystem”
  • “RPG application layer”
  • “Enterprise backend architecture on IBM i”

Just don’t call it the green screen.


The Final Sip

Today’s coffee: Dunkin’ Medium Roast — my golden standard. Dependable, smooth, and just the right kick to start a serious conversation.

The green screen is a footnote in IBM i’s history. Don’t let it define the platform or its future.

IBM i is not some dusty relic. It’s a reliable, evolving, enterprise powerhouse — like that perfect cup of Dunkin' coffee: simple, solid, and essential.

If you want IBM i to stay relevant, you have to treat it like the platform it is.

It’s time to ditch the “green screen” label for good.

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