Micro Focus announced the general availability of Visual COBOL 6.0 and Enterprise Suite 6.0. According to the company, the new releases provide versatile application, process, and infrastructure modernization tools for enterprise developers. 

“Through new insight-driven tools, API development capabilities and robust deployment options, these Micro Focus solutions give developers new ways to work with complex COBOL and mainframe systems while delivering on a cloud strategy,” said Neil Fowler, the general Mmanager of Application Modernization and Connectivity at Micro Focus. 

Enhancements to Enterprise Suite 6.0 include application changes to support SOA/API initiatives by identifying, exposing and integrating trusted functionality as new services, the ability to gain insight through process modernization, and more. 

Visual COBOL 6.0 features more support for new API development, new refactoring tools, and expanded support for Docker containers, Kubernetes and the cloud.

Additional details are available here.

Visual Studio Basic Essentials extension pack

The Basic Essentials extension pack includes extensions such as Add New File, Editor Enhancements, EditorConfig Language Service, File Icons, Insert GUID, Learn the Shortcut, and Markdown Editor.

An extension pack is a single extension that asks Visual Studio to install one or more other extensions, Microsoft explained. 

Additional details on the new essential extension pack are available here.

IBM Blockchain Platform 2.5
IBM Blockchain 2.5 includes support for the latest open-source innovations with The Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 as well as new integrations with red Hat technologies. 

“For blockchain enthusiasts, it’s an exciting opportunity to challenge the status quo and shift to multi-party systems,” IBM wrote in a blog post.

IBM Blockchain Platform is available as a managed service offering on IBM Cloud and as a multicloud offering that can be deployed in any environment.

New machine learning models on Android
Android released new tools for finding, training, and using custom machine learning models on Android.

Once developers select a model, they can use the new ML Model binding with Android Studio 4.1, which lets developers import any TFLite model, read the input / output signature of the model, and use it with just a few lines of code that calls the open source TensorFlow Lite Android Support Library.

Starting in June, ML Kit no longer requires a Firebase project for on-device functionality. In addition, the image classification and object detection and tracking (ODT) APIs support custom models.

Additional details on the new tools are available here.

IBM joins AI and ML working group
IBM joined the  SCTE•ISBE Explorer Initiative as a member of the AI/ML working group to collaborate with subject matter experts to develop AI and ML standards and best practices. 

 “The industry is going through a dramatic transformation as it prepares for a different marketplace with different demands, and we are energized by this collaboration. As the network becomes a cloud platform, it will help drive innovative data-driven services and applications to bring value to both enterprises and consumers,” said Steve Canepa, the global industry managing director, telecommunications, media & entertainment for IBM. 

Additional details are available here.