Re: Why MI? (Was: MI programmers list? Interested?)

Hans,

>OK, RPG is weak for bit twiddling, but if you need to do
>lots of bit twiddling, I'd argue that you're better off
>using C than MI.  

That is assuming you have a C compiler available.  Which I don't.  But
I do have RPG and MI.  The bit twidling was just an example -- look at
how often Barbara's responses have included MI functions as a means of
accomplishing something you can't do directly in RPG IV.

These aren't calls to MI library functions, they're just things you
can do with one MI statement.

>I also take issue with your assertion
>that MI is a "simple" way to do it.  Just look at the
>sample MI programs posted here recently - they're far
>from straight-forward.

OTOH, the tidbits Barbara has done *are* straight-forward because they
are not complete programs.  My current view towards MI is to use it
only to encapsulate short functions which are not easily or
efficiently done in RPG.

Like my RPG IV service program routines, keep them simple and focused,
and define the arguments and documentation such that future
maintenance programmers don't have to know how they work -- only what
the do.

>I think ther's a misconception out there that MI is
>something close to the machine level.  It's not.  

I agree.  The machine level on the S/34/36 was pretty sparse.  Gave a
whole different perspective to the phrase "Reduced Instruction Set
Computing" because it had so few instructions. <g>

With MI, you can use _CIPHER to do a complete DES-56 encryption in a
single statement.  That's hardly low-level.  On the S/34/36 you
couldn't even multiply numbers...

I just like adding tools to the toolbox.  I have enough hammers. <g>

Doug
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