New Technologies and the Average Shop (was Re: "Webulating" RPG)

Buck,

In a message dated 98-02-23 13:05:22 EST, you write:

<<snip>>
> Listen to what I'm saying here:  My boss thinks that SEU is good enough.  My
> boss thinks that it's not cost efficient to train the entire staff (4 or
100) in 
> a new paradigm (ILE, editor, Java?!)  My boss thinks that it's hard enough
to
> simply *pay* an experienced AS/400 programmer, much less outfit him with
"state
> of the art" tools and equipment to do cutting edge development for software
that is > already mature.
>  Don't rant and rave at the boss for these ideas: It's the boss' job to
minimise 
>  expenses and maximise performance.  When the boss thinks he's already
>  doing that, it's IBM's job to convince him that times have changed.

Oh, but I _MUST_ rave at your boss.  As with manufacturing jobs that are
moving overseas, programming jobs will always remain at the lowest common
denominator if managers continue to believe that re-investment in the product
is not worth while.  Many people have a problem believing that time is a
product -- yet it is all that our industry has to offer.  If moving to a new
paridigm is the only cost savings that your department can offer (and it will
be with time as the only unit of measure), then it needs to be presented in
that manner by your boss.  Your boss can maximize performance by shifting to
new technology, but refuses to do so due to the initial cost.  Shame on
him/her.

In my former life as a manager, I have both quit and been fired from jobs
because I felt that both I and my people deserved better.  I have fought for
raises of 15% or more for my employees, while enduring "the normal MAX" of 6%
myself.  I have hired in employees making more money than I did as a manager,
because _my_ manager wouldn't "go to bat" for me, but the department _NEEDED_
the talents of the new person.  That "minimize expenses" crud doesn't fly when
it comes to salaries, unless you want a team of people that don't "let the
door hit them in the butt" at five o'clock, never arrive before 8, don't want
to learn new things, and raise hell when you ask them to work a weekend.

>  I seriously doubt that I'm alone here.  For every one of the "top level"
posters
>  to this list, there are literally thousands who quietly run their S/36 code
on
>  their black boxes and are quite happy in that state.  Listen to me when I
tell
>  you that in order to sell CODE/400, ILE or Java you need to reach these
quietly
>  happy shops and *prove to them* that there's a better way.  If IBM can't do
that;
>  if Aldon can't do that, then maybe there simply isn't a market for advanced
>  tools for the AS/400.

You are _far_ from alone.  In fact, you're typical.  I agree wholeheartedly
with your marketing suggestions to IBM for the new tools.

>  I don't know how many people you reach on a road show, or how many times
>  you give the same pitch to the same people, but I can tell you that in 20
years,
>  I've never once received a piece of mail from IBM telling me about what's
>  available, asking me for a survey of what I'd like, or telling me how to
submit
>  my "wish list" to IBM.  Not one.  IBM knows who I am via software APARs, 
>  hardware service calls, my local CE and the Internet.  It's unrealistic for
IBM
>  to think that the businessperson, the programmer, the _individual_ is going
to
>  spend hours, weeks and months of her life researching all the things that
>  IBM and others sell for the AS/400.  Road shows are better than nothing, 
>  but how much better?

Agreed.  I've received more information as a member of IBM's "Consultant
Relations" program than I _EVER_ received as a customer...

>  Lest you think me merely a "doom and gloomer", I have some suggestions:
>  Try shipping free copies to people who spend X dollars, or at random!
>  Try giving away tutorials on using modern tools, and give some away.
>  Try shipping *working* ILE applications with source and a step by step
>  tutorial so people aren't afraid of it.  Try targeting programmers with
your 
>  marketing material: if you generate enough interest in this stuff at the
programmer
>  level, employers will have to start considering adopting it to attract new
people.
>  Try giving beta versions to more shops.  Take surveys and listen to what
you hear.  
>  Prepare "white papers" detailing cost/benefits of moving to newer
techniques;
>  give references, case studies and examples that match some of the many 
>  customers you have.

_GREAT_ ideas, all!

>  A lot of people have a lot of faith in IBM.  That's why SEU is so slow to
die.
>  IBM could kill SEU any time it wanted to, and replace it with CODE/400.
>  If IBM still supports it, that's good enough for the boss.  Apparently,
that's
>  good enough for IBM, too.
>  
>  Sigh.  I've said my piece, and I'm ready for the flames that are bound to
>  follow...

I don't know why anyone would flame you over the truth.  The truth is, most
AS/400 shops are small.  The truth is, most management at said shops is
resistent to spending _ANY_ kind of money.  The truth is, people in our
profession tend to have low self-esteem, hence allowing them to continue to
work where they're overworked and underpaid.  The truth is, for most of these
small shops, upgrading to a 170 with native JAVA installed is their best bet
for continuing skill enhancement.  Unfortunately, the truth is most CISC shops
still won't move in the near future.

With IS talent demand where it is right now, and technology advancing as fast
as it is, ask yourself the following questions:

1.  Have I been told in one or more of my past reviews that I didn't _DESERVE_
any more than the minimum raise possible?
2.  Did the same person that spoke this under (1) ask me to work nights and/or
weekends several times during the past year?  If not, was this person made
aware by your immediate supervisor that the aforementioned was asked and
answered?
3.  Am I concerned that there is nothing more to learn from the more senior
people on staff?
4.  Am I learning new things despite (3)?
5.  Am I unhappy in my work?
6.  Do I have thorough knowledge of a major software package and/or the
AS/400.

If you answered two or more of the above with "Yes", you either need to change
jobs or consider becoming a consultant...

IMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"It is impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so ingenious."
-- Anonymous
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