Who is Bruce Vining?

If you don’t know prominent former IBMer Bruce Vining, consider this your introduction. After 28 years with IBM, Vining is a well-known figure in the IBM* System i* world.

Vining began his career in 1979 in St. Louis as an IBM systems engineer supporting the IBM System/38* and System/34* platforms. He worked primarily with the programming staffs of large accounts, where his technical skills were quickly recognized and he was designated the System/38 regional specialist supporting companies throughout the Midwest. In 1985, he transferred to the Rochester, Minn., development lab where he was involved in the initial task force evaluating the feasibility of what would become the AS/400* and System i platforms. In 1992, he joined the AS/400 System Design Control Group (DCG) where he was responsible for the design and implementation of system APIs and exit points. Over the years, his DCG responsibilities grew to also include globalization, software serviceability and general programming interfaces.

Vining was the primary technical interface for IBM business partners (BPs) and ISVs requiring information on system APIs or simply needing a new API, thus earning the moniker Mr. API. In this role, he provided behind-the-scenes consulting on many of the modernization tools and techniques that have emerged (and are still emerging) into the System i marketplace. Additionally, Vining was the lead designer for several modernization efforts within i5/OS*. These included the exit registration facility that, by reducing IBM internal development costs, enabled faster incorporation of new exit points in the system. Vining was also responsible for Unicode support within i5/OS, which provides enhanced multilingual capabilities, and the introduction of time zones, which has been only partially implemented today. Vining was probably also one of the last IBMers in Rochester who worked with RPG and COBOL on a daily basis.

Vining recently left IBM to establish his own consulting and contract programming company, Bruce Vining Services (www.brucevining.com). Not content with simply supporting ISVs and BPs, Vining is also a prominent voice on several Internet forums, answering questions on API use and, with the help of his background in internationalization, on the code-page issues that are becoming an almost daily concern with the increased adoption of Web services, PC integration and other issues.

—J.P. and S.G.

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