What Should We Call the IBM i?

 What Should We Call the IBM i?

Tracing the Platform's Journey from AS/400 to the Modern Era

By George VanEaton
The RPG Blend
☕ Coffee of the Day: Jack Daniel’s ((no judgment—it’s been a long week))

If you’ve been around the IBM midrange world for any length of time, chances are you still hear (or say) the name “AS/400.” And for good reason—it was a great system. But the AS/400 isn’t what we’re using anymore, and calling it that misses just how far the platform has come.

In this post, I want to unpack the history, clarify the naming, and challenge all of us—especially those of us who care deeply about the platform’s future—to start calling it what it is: IBM i.

A Timeline of Names

Let’s get clear on how we got here:

  • 1988 – AS/400 (Application System/400):
    IBM introduced the AS/400 with its own operating system (OS/400), tightly integrated with DB2 and designed for business computing.
  • 2000 – iSeries:
    As part of IBM’s eServer line, the AS/400 hardware became iSeries. OS/400 was still the operating system.
  • 2006 – System i:
    IBM attempted to unify its server branding. We now had System i, running OS/400 (later i5/OS).
  • 2008 – IBM i on Power Systems:
    This was the major shift. IBM dropped the System i hardware and merged it with System p, forming IBM Power Systems.
    The operating system became IBM i—no longer tied to any single hardware identity.

Today, IBM i is the operating system, running on IBM Power Systems hardware. That’s the reality of the modern platform.

So Why Do People Still Say “AS/400”?

Simple: legacy, habit, and culture. Many of us cut our teeth on the AS/400. We’ve built careers on it. The name is comfortable.

But here’s the problem: calling it the AS/400 today:

  • Misrepresents what the platform actually is
  • Undermines its modern capabilities
  • Perpetuates the false idea that it's outdated or dying

If we want to attract new talent, build buy-in with leadership, or modernize our codebase—we have to update our language first.

What About “RPG Developer”?

This one hits closer to home.

Even now, many of us are referred to simply as “RPG Developers.” That label isn’t wrong—but it’s also incomplete.

Yes, we write RPG. But that’s only part of the job. IBM i developers today often work with:

  • SQL (embedded and dynamic)
  • CL and system automation
  • REST APIs and web services
  • JavaScript, Node.js, or PHP for web UIs
  • Git, VS Code, RDi
  • DB2 for i tuning and database design
  • Messaging, job scheduling, data movement, and system integration

Labeling us only as “RPG devs” is like calling a full-stack JavaScript engineer a “HTML coder.” Technically true—but missing the depth.

We are IBM i developers. RPG is our core language, but our role spans far beyond that. We bridge business logic, system operations, database management, and modern APIs—all in a platform that can do more than most realize.

What to Call It (And What Not To)

Let’s be specific.

Term

Use It?

Meaning

AS/400

❌ No

Refers to the 1988 hardware and OS/400

iSeries

❌ No

Hardware name from 2000–2006

System i

❌ No

Hardware name from 2006–2008

i5

❌ No

Hardware based on Power5 chip

IBM Power Systems

✅ Yes (hardware)

Current hardware platform (shared with AIX & Linux)

IBM i

✅ Yes (OS)

Current operating system (released 2008)

IBM i on Power

✅ Yes

Describes the platform accurately

Bottom line: Use IBM i for the operating system, and IBM Power Systems for the hardware. If you want to describe the full platform, say IBM i on Power.

This Isn’t Just Semantics

Here’s why it matters:

  • Professional credibility: Using the right terms shows you’re keeping up with the platform—not just stuck in the past.
  • Modern hiring: Calling a job “AS/400 Developer” doesn’t attract developers who know SQL, REST, or Node.js on IBM i.
  • Internal advocacy: If you’re pitching modernization or innovation, you need to speak in the present tense. “We’re updating our IBM i services” sounds very different than “We’re updating the old AS/400.”
  • Respect for the tech: IBM i deserves credit for what it is today—a robust, scalable, modern operating system that supports APIs, containers, Git, VS Code, and more.

IBM i Is a Legacy-Capable System, Not a Legacy System

This is a key distinction.

IBM i is not legacy. It just happens to run legacy apps really well. There’s a difference.

You can run 30-year-old RPG programs and brand-new microservices side-by-side. You can write modern web UIs using Node.js or PHP. You can integrate with cloud platforms and enterprise APIs—all natively.

That’s not legacy. That’s strategic continuity with modern capability.

Let’s Call It What It Is

If we want to build the next generation of RPG developers…
If we want business leaders to see the value of what we do…
If we want IBM to keep investing in the platform…

…then we need to start by calling it the right name.

It’s not the AS/400. It’s IBM i.

Let’s act like it.

Final Sips

The last drops of today's Jack Daniel’s roast remind me why I started The RPG Blend—to help developers, team leads, and tech leaders stay grounded in this platform’s value while pushing forward.

Next week, we’ll return to coding topics: practical refactoring, code modernization, and mentoring newer developers through the quirks (and strengths) of IBM i development.

Until then, for those of you in the U.S.—Happy 4th of July.
Take the day. Enjoy your people. Then let’s get back to building the future.

—George 

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