A Welcome from the OpenLegacy CTO: Free Browser-Based Tools for the Community

roi.m

As CTO of OpenLegacy, I’m excited to welcome you to our OpenLegacy Community site. When we launched this space, we had a clear vision: make legacy modernization approachable, practical, and accessible to everyone.

That’s why we decided to provide three of our core tools—OL Terminal, OL Code, and SQOL—completely free.

This isn’t just about handing out free software. It’s about lowering the barriers to modernization, empowering developers, and creating a shared place where enterprises and individual technologists alike can experiment, learn, and build.

Why Free?

Modernization projects are complex. They involve risk, multiple moving parts, and a steep learning curve. We know this from years of experience with enterprises worldwide. By offering these tools for free, we’re:

Democratizing access: Anyone can explore mainframe, IBM i, or database modernization without worrying about licenses.
Encouraging experimentation: Developers can try ideas quickly—whether that’s connecting to a mainframe, exploring SQL on a legacy DB, or analyzing COBOL code—without budget approvals slowing them down.
Building community trust: Free tools open the door for collaboration, feedback, and improvement that benefit everyone.

Why Browser-Based?

We’re living in a world of SaaS, collaboration, and remote work. Installing heavy clients is the old way. With browser-based apps, you get:

Zero install, instant access: Just open a link and start working.
Cross-platform consistency: Whether you’re on Windows, Mac, Linux, or even a Chromebook—your experience is the same.
Enterprise readiness: Browser-first means easier deployment, controlled access, and future integration with cloud and DevOps pipelines.

For us, insisting on browser-based wasn’t optional—it was the only way to align with where enterprises are headed.

The Three Free Apps

️ OL Terminal

A modern web-based 3270/5250 terminal client.

Connect to mainframes and IBM i systems directly from your browser.
Full support for terminal models, colors, and session management.
Perfect for training, testing, or even production access when paired with enterprise security.

OL Code

A lightweight legacy code IDE, built for COBOL, RPG, and more.

Syntax highlighting, structure navigation, and copybook handling—all in the browser.
Designed to help developers understand and modify legacy codebases without heavy desktop tools.
A stepping stone to deeper analysis and modernization workflows.

️ SQOL

A browser-based database console, tuned for legacy and modern databases.

Run queries, browse tables, and explore data instantly.
Works with DB2, Oracle, MySQL, and more.
Ideal for quick checks, learning SQL, or setting up modernization test cases.

What’s In It for Us?

We believe in mutual value. By giving these tools for free, we:

Invite you into the OpenLegacy ecosystem. As you use the free tools, you’ll see how they connect naturally with our enterprise OpenLegacy Hub, which adds advanced capabilities like API generation, testing, governance, and integration.
Enable real modernization journeys. Start free with OL Terminal, OL Code, or SQOL. When your needs grow—building APIs, managing modernization patterns, ensuring enterprise-grade coexistence—you’re already aligned with OpenLegacy’s platform.
Build a stronger community. Every developer who tries these tools, shares feedback, or contributes ideas helps us make modernization better for all.

Collaboration With the Community

We don’t just want people to use these tools—we want to learn from you.

Share your use cases: How are you using OL Terminal, OL Code, or SQOL in your environment?
Suggest improvements: Tell us what works, what’s missing, and what would make these tools even more valuable.
Co-create modernization practices: Together, we can define best practices for legacy systems that reflect real-world experience, not just theory.

Your input helps shape the roadmap, improves the tools for everyone, and makes modernization less of a challenge and more of a community-driven journey.

The Next Step

Explore the free tools today:

And when you’re ready, see how they scale into enterprise modernization with the OpenLegacy Hub. Together, we can simplify modernization, reduce risk, and unlock the future of your core systems.

I personally invite you to join the community forum, share your experiences, and collaborate with us. The more we learn from each other, the stronger our community—and our modernization journey—becomes.

— Roi Mor, CTO, OpenLegacy