Greensaver displays the way

A new GUI or graphical view solution for "green screen" applications that is fast, flexible, and cost-effective has been launched by Cemoc Ltd, a specialist in intelligent server and network management.

Greensaver delivers a fully functional Windows GUI out of the box for any AS/400 application - instantly. For users requiring a graphical display of their AS/400 application, Greensaver delivers the familiar Windows view, with all its associated intuitive features, such as drop down menus, attachments, cut and paste and point and click - all this without any changes to the underlying application and its code.

Greensaver is also quite at home in customised and dynamic environments, preserving a GUI view even when underlying business application code is updated. Users will never be dumped into a default green screen view, even when switching between applications or to system commands. This means fewer calls to busy helpdesks, and that new users are more likely to accept AS/400 applications - and become productive more quickly.

Greensaver works with any IBM i-Series AS/400 based application software, and will not compromise green-screen 'power user' performance. This is due to Cemoc's new data conversion engine within Greensaver, based on the latest Microsoft .NET technologies, and which uses the standard 5250 data emulation to maximise bandwidth efficiency to deliver faster screen updates than browser-based solutions.

Cemoc's Greensaver conversion package means systems managers can immediately protect their investment in proven green screen applications from looking "out of date", without needing to make any changes to underlying business applications. Moreover, Greensaver's flexibility allows it to deliver graphical views across all AS/400 applications, so systems managers only need to procure and manage one software package. A per-user licensing model further reinforces these economies of scale.

"The full power of Greensaver is achieved through its configurable intelligence, which yields productivity benefits to new and experienced users alike," says Cemoc managing director, Dick Doran. "We know that many power users wouldn't dream of having a GUI view on their system," he added, "but even these specialists could benefit from Greensaver's capability to develop multiple screen units into one logical view for ease of data entry or review. Similarly, for new or infrequent users, Greensaver can simplify displays or hide fields, in views that can be configured by user, or by profiled group of users, and by screen. Thanks to the full functional Windows GUI, it is also possible to display data and field selections in drop down boxes and list views, allowing available options to be described in more detail at the click of a mouse. New users can therefore become productive more quickly, gaining confidence with less required training."

As a further aid to productivity and ease of use for all, Greensaver can also include links to other applications, such as a product catalogue, web application, or CAD drawing from within an application screen, making context sensitive information available to guide users in selecting the right options. To maximise the benefits of this capability for users, Greensaver also supports standard 'cut and paste' operations between application windows.

"Greensaver was developed in close partnership with a key group of Cemoc customers and consequently reflects the real-world needs of today's AS/400 green-screen application users," Doran added.