Subject: CM WebClient and Matchpoint ALM October 2025 Newsletter

Dev news, updates, and insights

October 2025

In this issue...

  • Featured: From Code Archaeology to System Mastery: The Human-AI Approach to Legacy Modernization - CM First Group

  • Article: Developers Rail Against JavaScript ‘Merchants of Complexity’ - The New Stack

  • Watch: What Big Tech Still Gets WRONG about Great Programmers - A Life Engineered

  • Listen: iOS 26 Safari, Material Support on the Web, and Fixing The Button Problem - ShopTalk Show

  • Intelligence: Further reading...

Featured

Rethinking Modernization: From Code Archaeology to System Mastery


Legacy systems are often treated like digital fossils. Painful to decode, costly to fix, and risky to replace. The real challenge lies in decoding years of human decisions, business logic, and technical trade-offs buried within complex systems. Without that context, even the most advanced tools fall short.


The smartest teams begin by mapping how their systems evolved, identifying what still drives business value, and only then bringing in AI or automation to accelerate the work.


AI can surface patterns and risks faster than ever, but it’s people who give that data meaning. In the end, successful modernization starts with understanding, not automation.


Read full article here →

Heads Up

Developers Rail Against JavaScript ‘Merchants of Complexity’


Front-end developers are reaching a breaking point. After years of chasing the latest JavaScript frameworks and build tools, many are questioning whether all that complexity actually delivers better products.


In one striking example, a public-sector portal in California loaded 17.4 MB of uncompressed JavaScript before showing any user content, a textbook case of what happens when frameworks overstep.


Developers are starting to trade hype for simplicity, opting for leaner stacks like HTML, PHP, or even plain JavaScript to move faster and maintain less. The trend signals a shift in mindset: away from constant reinvention, toward sustainable, human-scale software.


In the end, the question isn’t what’s new, but what actually works.


Read the full article at The New Stack →


Watch

What Big Tech Still Gets WRONG about Great Programmers


For years, big tech has measured developer talent by speed, syntax, and sheer output. But as this video argues, those metrics miss the real differentiator: how engineers think.


The best programmers aren’t just efficient coders. They understand business context, navigate ambiguity, and design systems that last. Yet many companies still prioritize technical trivia over strategic thinking, mistaking productivity for mastery.


The irony? As AI begins to handle more of the repetitive work, these higher-order skills—judgment, curiosity, and systems thinking—are what will separate great developers from good ones.


It’s time to rethink what engineering excellence looks like. Because in the next era of software, knowing how to code won’t be enough. You’ll need to know why you’re coding at all.


Watch Now (56:33) →

Listen

683: iOS 26 Safari, Material Support on the Web, and Fixing The Button Problem


In a recent ShopTalk Show episode, Chris Coyier and Dave Rupert explore what “modern” really means in web development today. With Safari iOS 26 rolling out flashy visual effects like liquid glass, they ask the question more teams should be asking: just because it’s possible, is it worth it?


They unpack how complexity has crept into everyday workflows—whether it’s bloated frameworks, TypeScript overload, or the pressure to constantly rebuild. The conversation pushes back against the idea that new automatically means better.


The takeaway? The web is evolving fast, but not every shift demands a rebuild. The smartest teams focus more on value, maintainability, and user experience—not hype.


Listen now at the ShopTalk Show Podcast →

 Broadcom Support 


Many enterprises struggle with obtaining Broadcom support for their CA 2E (Synon, COOL:2E) or CA Plex systems


If you're working with an older unsupported release, upgrading your IBM OS, or otherwise under the shadow of lapsed maintenance, we can get you back on Broadcom support based on your unique situation. We specialize in all sizes of customers.


Fill out our 2 minute form and schedule a no-committment fifteen minute conversation with CM First Group tech.

Get rock solid Broadcom support

CM First Support

Current CM First Group customers can access tutorials and submit support tickets at support.cmfirstgroup.com.

CM WebClient and Matchpoint ALM Latest Versions

CM WebClient 1.8.8 is now available (with nightly builds). Click here for the download and release notes.

CM Matchpoint ALM 7.0 Build 004. For details, go here.


We continuously upgrade CM WebClient and CM Matchpoint ALM customers. If you have any questions just send us a note to info@cmfirstgroup.com, or click the link below to contact an office or request a demo.


Click here to request a meeting →


Other CM First Releases


CM evolveIT 11.7
CM M3 2022 Edition
CA Plex 7.2.1 SP005, last supported 7.2.1 (as of January 31, 2022)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
CA 2E 8.7.3, last supported 8.7 (as of January 31, 2022)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
Contact CM First to learn more: info@cmfirstgroup.com

Intelligence

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