Author Archives: Roger Lacroix

My name is Roger Lacroix and I am a die hard programmer. I have been programming since the 80s. My favorite programming languages are Java, C and Rexx. I have worked in the airline, retail but I have spent most of my time doing middleware work in the financial services industry. In 1994, I was introduced to IBM MQ (aka WebSphere MQ & MQSeries) and I thought it was the next best thing since man created fire. This blog will be about IBM MQ, Java, C, Rexx and any other interesting items that I can think of. I hope you enjoy it.

CRA Phone Scam from (613) 927-9687

August 18, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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Three weeks ago, I received the first phone call and I just received the second phone call from (613) 927-9687. It is an automated phone call (woman’s voice), stating it is the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) and threatening a lawsuit for unpaid taxes. The first time it happened, I figured it was a scam but […]

Scam / Fraud, Security 1 Comment

IBM Introduces Two Open-Source-Only Mainframes

August 17, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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IBM is introducing two mainframe servers that run only on the open-source Linux operating system. Here are some articles on it: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-17/ibm-introduces-two-open-source-only-mainframes-in-hardware-push http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/16/linux-foundation-launches-open-mainframe-project/ http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/16/ibm-teams-with-canonical-on-linux-mainframe/ Regards, Roger Lacroix Capitalware Inc.

Linux, Open Source, Operating Systems Comments Off on IBM Introduces Two Open-Source-Only Mainframes

FreeBSD v10.2 Released

August 14, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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The FreeBSD Release Engineering Team has just released FreeBSD v10.2. http://www.freebsd.org/releases/10.2R/announce.html FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for modern server, desktop, and embedded computer platforms. FreeBSD’s code base has undergone over thirty years of continuous development, improvement, and optimization. It is developed and maintained by a large team of individuals. FreeBSD provides advanced networking, impressive […]

Open Source, Operating Systems Comments Off on FreeBSD v10.2 Released

A Better MD Class than IBM’s MQMD Class

August 14, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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This is a follow up to my blog posting last week titled: Java MQMD class Weirdness. After beating my head against the wall, I gave up on the ‘com.ibm.mq.headers.MQMD’ class and went back to my own MD (Message Descriptor) class. At least I know it works. 🙂 The reason I originally created my MD class […]

Capitalware, IBM i (OS/400), IBM MQ, Java, Linux, macOS (Mac OS X), Programming, Unix, Windows Comments Off on A Better MD Class than IBM’s MQMD Class

WebSphere MQ Fix Pack 7.0.1.13 Released

August 13, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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IBM has just released FixPack 7.0.1.13 for WebSphere MQ. http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21960691 Regards, Roger Lacroix Capitalware Inc.

Fix Packs for MQ, IBM i (OS/400), IBM MQ, Linux, Unix, Windows Comments Off on WebSphere MQ Fix Pack 7.0.1.13 Released

Microsoft Releases Windows 10 IoT Core for Raspberry Pi

August 11, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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Today, Microsoft announced the public release of Windows 10 IoT Core for the Raspberry Pi 2 and the MinnowBoard Max. Microsoft also announced a “build a home automation solution that leverages the power of Windows 10 IoT Core running on Raspberry Pi 2” contest. For more information, go here. Regards, Roger Lacroix Capitalware Inc.

Education, Operating Systems, Programming, Raspberry Pi, Windows Comments Off on Microsoft Releases Windows 10 IoT Core for Raspberry Pi

Oracle CSO Rant to ‘Sinner’ Customers

August 11, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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Yesterday, Oracle’s chief security officer Mary Ann Davidson posted a rant about customers who reverse engineer Oracle products then send Oracle information on security vulnerabilities in Oracle products. She wants customers to “stop sending vulnerability reports already” because she wants “to go back to writing murder mysteries”. I’m not kidding, the Oracle CSO wrote that. […]

General, Programming, Security Comments Off on Oracle CSO Rant to ‘Sinner’ Customers

Mozilla Firefox 40.0 Released

August 11, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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Mozilla Firefox has just released Mozilla Firefox v40.0. http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/ Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. To display web pages, Firefox uses the Gecko layout engine, which implements most current web standards in addition to several features that are intended to […]

Linux, macOS (Mac OS X), Open Source, Windows Comments Off on Mozilla Firefox 40.0 Released

Richard Nikula will be Speaking at MQTC v2.0.1.5

August 10, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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Richard Nikula of Nastel will be presenting the following sessions at MQ Technical Conference v2.0.1.5 (MQTC): Richard Nikula’s Technical Session: Monitoring and Tracking for Remote MQ Environments Richard Nikula’s Vendor Sessions: 3 Things That Nobody Tells You About MQ Monitoring When Good Flows Go Bad… For more information about MQTC, please go to: http://www.mqtechconference.com Regards, […]

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Java MQMD class Weirdness

August 5, 2015 Roger Lacroix
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I’m trying to use the MQMD class in a Java application and I’m getting weird results. I tested it with both MQ JAR files from v7.5.0.2 and v8.0.0.2 with JVM of v1.7.0. Note: All of my testing was done in ‘client mode’ (not bindings mode). The first odd thing is that MQMD class is in […]

IBM i (OS/400), IBM MQ, Java, Linux, macOS (Mac OS X), Programming, Unix, Windows Comments Off on Java MQMD class Weirdness