IBM watsonx Code Assistant Portfolio vs. OpenCode

I would recommend for understanding your Mainframe components not for the GenAI piece involved from just my experience. The explanations were not up to the quality we wanted but its deterministic side provided a lot of value for different members of my team. The visuals would be great. I am not sure where it currently stands

Incentivized

• It can automatically revamp specific parts of the COBOL code and very useful when we want to maintain the existing codebase but improve its structure. I can highlight a block of COBOL code and use Watsonx Assistant to suggest ways to simplify and optimize it.
• Legacy codes, mostly written in COBOL, are cryptic and difficult to understand. Watsonx Assistant analyzes the code and provides insights into its functionalities and dependencies. A great help when working on older applications where understanding the codebase is crucial.
• A step-by-step approach to modernize our applications slowly and steadily, so that we can control the process better. I don't have to change everything at once. Instead, I can focus on specific COBOL modules and automatically convert them to Java.

Incentivized

• IDE integration is not always optimal
• I wish it could it could generate the code of an entire WEB site based on user specifications
• I with there was a functionality to generate code based on design documents such as Sequence Diagrams, Database Architecture etc.

Incentivized

Security is very important in the mainframe world. At Watsonx, we work in the trusted Z environment, which has strong security rules, stricter than those of other cloud-based solutions. My domain is primarily mainframe modernization and Watsonx Code Assistant for Z is specifically used to understand and work with COBOL, the language used majorly in mainframe environments, not any general-purpose language that used in various platforms. It understands the nuances of COBOL and Assembler specific to the Z environment, something crucial for my work.

Incentivized

• While manual review and adjustments are still needed, it's a 50-70% reduction in manual coding. Think about it - a project estimated to take a year is done in 4-6 months.
• We've been able to introduce new features and improvements more quickly by updating our technology faster. One relevant example is we recently released an important update to our main product 45 days earlier than planned.
• It has been a smart move and it's really paid off for our company. We've cut down a lot of time we used to spend doing things manually. We now spend our resources more wisely, work faster and finish projects sooner and as a result, we've reduced our development costs by 25%.

Incentivized