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

My question has always been. Why does IBM charges $2,000 for an ordinary "C"
compiler that is available for free on about everything else. I can buy a
complete C++ development system for less than $100 on NT but pay $2,000 for
nothing but an ordinary "C" compiler on the AS/400.

I thought the idea was to get people to write more programs on the AS/400,
not discourage them. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Crothers [mailto:bob@cstoneindy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 4:25 AM
To: 'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
Subject: RE: Why MI? (Was: MI programmers list? Interested?)


Colin,

On this list?  I would guess you are wrong.

There are a number of software vendors on the list and many of us have 
the ILE/C compiler.  So we would skew the number.

But in the general AS/400 population?  I would guess that the vast 
majority of the shops do not have ILE/C.  It is one of those things 
very hard to justify.  Especially if you have a large as/400 because 
then it costs a lot.

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From:   Colin Williams [SMTP:Williamsc@technocrats.co.uk]
Sent:   Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:08 AM
To:     'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
Subject:        RE: Why MI? (Was: MI programmers list? Interested?)

Would I be right in saying that for 99.9% of the people on this list, 
a
C compiler is just not an option?

>-----Original Message-----
>From: boldt@ca.ibm.com [mailto:boldt@ca.ibm.com]
>Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 1:49 PM
>To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
>Subject: Re: Why MI? (Was: MI programmers list? Interested?)
>
>
>
>
>Jim wrote:
>>I think the problem is, most of us don't have a C compiler on the
>>box.  I know I don't, nor do any of the other 2 AS/400's we're
>>using.  It comes down to you use what you have, whether it's
>>best or not.  If I had a C compiler I would use it.  I don't have 
it,
>>so I'm not going to.
>
>I've always believed in using the appropriate tool for
>the task at hand.  To me, for most of the reasons people
>use MI, C is the more appropriate tool.
>
>To me, MI is a relic of the S/38 CISC architecture.
>Certainly, at least a few people thought it was a good
>idea at the time (late 1970's), but it has been superceded
>by more current technology.  In the S/38 and CISC AS/400's,
>it was the closest thing we had to an assembler language.
>In the current RISC machines, the "assembly language" is C.
>
>I can certainly understand using MI when C is not available.
>But I just don't want to encourage it.
>
>Cheers!  Hans
>
>Hans Boldt, ILE RPG Development, IBM Toronto Lab, boldt@ca.ibm.com
>
>
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