Green Screen Modernization

Future-proof your applications by deploying them onto modern interfaces and devices

No matter how useful and effective your applications are, today’s workforce will deem them “outdated” if they run on a green screen. Does that sound familiar to you?

Unfortunately, that assumption is probably valid.

Besides the fact that a 5250 emulator is needed to access them (emulating a terminal created in 1977), your applications are missing out on over 30 years of advancements in UI/UX technology. It’s no surprise that modern graphical user interfaces are now the standard in today’s businesses.

Our green screen modernization solutions take your existing RPG applications off of the 5250 stream and onto web and mobile devices. Look no further than Profound UI, our comprehensive suite of tools that allow you to modernize your applications. If you don't have the time to take on the project yourself, we provide services to take care of the entire process for you.

Benefits of Green Screen Modernization

	Eliminate the perception that your applications are outdated.
	Make end-users more productive and efficient with applications that are easier to learn and use.
	Increase application adoption, reducing application training time and costs.
	Maintain competitive advantages of your home grown solution.
	Extend the value of the IBM i platform to the modern workforce.

How It Works

We use two methods to modernize your green screen applications:

1. DDS Conversion/RPG Open Access
This is the best method to create a truly modern application. Our DDS Conversion tool automates the conversion of DDS source files to Rich Display files (native IBM i objects that fully support Web browser interfaces). With the help of RPG Open Access, all ties to the 5250 character-based protocol will be eliminated and replaced with a rich user interface.  Your applications will support capabilities it never could before like scrolling, dynamic images, and drag-and-drop sections, to name a few. 

2. Web Enablement

You may also opt to web-enable (AKA “screen scrape” or “reface”) your 5250 applications. This approach gives green screens a modern look without investing heavily in development time and tools. Web-enabling 5250 applications can also act as a stopgap modernization solution until such a time that full modernization away from the 5250 stream is possible.

Which method is best for you? We suggest...

The 80/20 Approach
The 80/20 rule holds true in IBM i shops in the sense that users spend 80% of their time on 20% of the screens. We found the best way to start a modernization project is to do a full DDS Conversion of the highly-used 20% and to web-enable the other 80%. You will quickly achieve modern interfaces across the board while your most important applications will enjoy the full benefits of DDS conversion.

Download Profound UI Trial   Contact Sales

Next Steps

Want to do it yourself?

Need our help?
Mass Conversion
If neither time nor inhouse resources are on your side, let us help you modernize! Our mass conversion service will reengineer all of your green-screen code into modern web applications for the IBM i platform. We use our automated mass conversion technology, so that you do not have to invest years into rebuilding all of your applications manually.