Dear fellow mainframer,
First, a brief update: our usual newsletter author Kresimir Mudrovcic is recovering from a serious bike accident and surgery. While he focuses on rehab, I’m stepping in for June and July. The good news? Even from his hospital bed, he was thinking about this community. (That’s dedication!)
So while the voice behind these newsletters may be a little different for the next couple of months, but our commitment to bringing you the latest in mainframe technology, trends, and community news remains the same.
Mighty Mainframe Conference 2025: Zadar Highlights
This May, we gathered in Croatia for the Mighty Mainframe Conference as part of QED’s “UNcomplex” edition. The goal? Bridge the mainframe’s past, present, and future while cutting through the marketing fluff.
The conference kicked off poolside with “Cheers to New to Z Croatia”—because nothing beats mainframe war stories over Croatian sunset cocktails. Monday brought Frank van der Wal’s and Philipp Kremling “Mainframe Experience for All” session, and Tuesday delivered the real showstoppers.
After that I hosted “Mainframe Modernization: From Vintage to Vogue” which tackled the topic of what modernization actually means. Emma Skovgård’s presentation on open-source mainframe tools had people frantically taking notes, followed by a technical deep-dive with Thomas Liechti, Emma Skovgård and myself.
But the highlight of the conference was definitely “GenZ Mainframers” with Tim McKeoun. Emma Skovgård, Viktor Quina, and Philipp Kremling. They proved Gen Z absolutely loves the big iron, they just need someone to show them how cool it is. The experience was not lacking either with Rosalind Radcliffe, Leendert Blondeel, and Zdravko Krpić who shared battle-tested strategies for attracting young talent that don’t involve ping-pong tables.
Coding the Next Generation
Speaking of young talent, CROZ partnered with Hacker School to get German seventh graders hooked on programming. Students in Göttingen built custom Pong games while Hamburg kids tackled Flappy Bird. Despite zero coding background, feedback was overwhelmingly positive, many of them are already asking for more challenges. Who knows? Maybe one of these Pong masters will be debugging COBOL in twenty years! Check full story here!
Until Next Time
Whether it’s seasoned professionals in Zadar bridging generational gaps, kids in Germany discovering their first “Hello World,” or a dedicated newsletter writer thinking about this community from his rehabilitation, the mainframe world is powered by people who refuse to give up.
We’re not just maintaining legacy systems; we’re nurturing a legacy of innovation and stubborn optimism. The mainframe isn’t going anywhere, and neither are we.
Stay mighty, Armin
P.S. – Keep sending your stories and questions. I’m honored to be your temporary messenger, you can always contact me via LinkedIn.
