Re: VB Future ? & Visual Age RPG

DAVID BULOG wrote:
> 
> How many people on this list use VB?Im really interested is Visual Age RPG
> any good .So far I cant get a answer as to whether this will work on the
> desktop without being connected to the AS/400.
> I have heard that you can devolp stand alone windows apps-nothing to do
> with the AS/400 with Visual Age--is this correct???
> 
> cheers Dave
> PS: thers is only one book avaible on Visual Age RPG - a disapointing slim
> expensive volume and there does not appear to be the support out there
> about this product.You also have to buy software for the AS/400 when you
> purchase Visual Age as part of the kit--even if its useless for all us
> users that have a small cisc
> box at home.
> 

David,

We don't use VB.  We DO use IBM's VisualAge for RPG.  I like VARPG a
lot.
It was VERY easy to learn.  Actually there was not much to learn besides
Event-driven programming and a few new opcodes.

As for using stand alone without an AS/400, the answer is YES!  You have
three options for file access:
        1.  Use plain text files and then use the normal READ/CHAIN/WRITE...
                to access them.
        2.  Use ODBC to access any DB that supports ODBC.
        3.  Use DB/2 for the PC and then use Embedded SQL in VARPG to 
                access it.
Or you should be able to use any combination of the above.  And if you
do have an AS/400 you can access it at the same time. ;-)

As for books/manuals:  VARPG comes with all its manuals on-line and I
do believe a printed 'get to know' manual.  There is a Redbook
available.
As for third party, there is one book done by Bryan Meyers/Jef
Sutherland
that is a good intro book.

And as far as I understand it, there really is not software that you buy
FOR the AS/400.  It is either just part of the OS now or it is part
of ADTS (PDM).  The strange part is that you have to own an AS/400 in
order
to buy VARPG.  It should work on a CICS, they list PTFs for V3R2.  But I
won't personally guarantee that point.

Check out their webpage for more info:
        http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/varpg
Go to the Feedback page to get the info on the newsgroup that supports
VARPG.
You can get a lot of good answers to your questions there.

------------------------------------------------------
Scott P. Johnson
Programmer/Analyst
IBM Certified Specialist - AS/400 RPG Programmer
Highsmith Inc.
W5527 Hwy 106, PO BOX 800
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0800
TEL:  920-563-9571                FAX:  920-563-7395
sjohnson@highsmith.com
www.highsmith.com
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