Direct answers to expensive operational problems.
Practical guides for removing manual work with AI and automation, connecting business systems, and modernizing the software in the way.
Oracle Forms to APEX migration: what Oracle's tools do, and why the logic decides the work
An Oracle Forms to APEX migration rebuilds each screen as an APEX page on the same database. Oracle desupported its old APEX migration workbench in APEX 21.1, so the real job is finding where the logic lives before choosing APEX or Java.
Read articleRefactoring legacy code: how to change code that has no tests
Refactoring legacy code safely starts with tests that pin what the code does today. The hands-on techniques, from characterization tests and seams to sprout, wrap and extract method, when each one fits, and when to stop refactoring and replace a part.
Read articleSpring Boot 2 end of life: why leaving 2.7 is more than a version bump
Spring Boot 2.7, the last 2.x line, left open-source support on 30 June 2023, and Spring's commercial support for it ends on 30 June 2029. Leaving it means Java 17, the javax to jakarta rename and Spring Security 6 at the same time.
Read articleSQL Server 2016 end of support date: it was 14 July 2026, so what now?
The SQL Server 2016 end of support date was 14 July 2026, so instances still on it are already out of support. Paid Extended Security Updates run to 17 July 2029, Azure no longer includes them at no extra cost, and the real upgrade work is the code around the engine.
Read articleWCF in .NET Core: CoreWCF, gRPC or Web API, and what each one keeps
WCF in .NET Core is supported on the client side only. To host a WCF service on modern .NET, Microsoft names two paths, CoreWCF and gRPC, with ASP.NET Core Web API as a third. Which one fits depends on the clients you can't change and the WCF features you use.
Read articleCode audit checklist: what a review should cover beyond security
A software code audit checklist that goes past security: architecture, dependencies, tests, releases, data, documentation, operations and who can change the code. Concrete checks for each area, and what the report should contain.
Read articleHow to measure technical debt, and explain it to people who don't write code
Tools like SonarQube measure code-level debt well and miss most of the rest. How the tool numbers are calculated, how to measure what they can't see with a simple debt register, and how to explain both in time and risk instead of ratios.
Read articleHow to reduce technical debt without stopping feature work
Most teams can't stop shipping to pay down technical debt, and don't need to. How to reduce it in small pieces alongside feature work: where to start, how to protect the time, and how to stop adding more.
Read articleIs PowerBuilder still supported? What happened to it, and what to do now
PowerBuilder is still supported by Appeon, but only on current versions. Versions 2019 and 2019 R2 are past end of life, 2022 and 2022 R2 reach end of life in May 2027, and 2022 R3 is the long-term support release.
Read articleLegacy system assessment: how to score every application you own
A legacy system assessment tells you which of your applications needs attention first. A two-axis matrix a manager can fill in over an afternoon, the questions to score, and what to do in each of the four corners.
Read articleLegacy system examples: what counts, and how to tell if yours is one
A legacy system is one your business can no longer change safely, whatever its age. Ten examples most companies will recognize, why each one counts, what to check first, and the signs that one of your own systems belongs on the list.
Read articleLegacy system modernization: the options, and the question to answer first
Legacy system modernization means changing an old system so the business can keep relying on it and keep changing it safely. The nine options, what each one changes, and the question to answer before you choose: where do the business rules live?
Read articleHave a workflow these articles remind you of?
The 30-day assessment tells you whether automation is practical, which tools fit, and where to begin.