RE: Free OS/400

> Joe Pluta:

> If, on the other hand, the code adheres to the trends of the last
> decade or
> so, with modular programs where the user interface is separate from the
> business logic, then it's quite easy to move from a green screen to a UI
> independent environment.

They may be the trends of the last decade or so, but I'd be willing to bet
that the lion's share of code out there is what you would call monolithic.
From what I've seen of packages and discussions with fellow AS/400
professionals I'd also bet that most "traditional" shops are following the
long-standing tradition of producing and maintaining large, single purpose
RPG programs.

I fully agree that the modularity you describe facilitates migration to
other interfaces.  I don't agree that it's a trend.

Nonetheless, I don't think it pertains to what folks have been complaining
about on this particular sub-thread.  Joe, do you feel that IBM has failed
to provide an iSeries migration path to client server and web-based
solutions?

It seems to me that the expectation is that the iSeries should make web
programming as easy as what we've been doing for years -- coding RPG in SEU
and display files in SDA.  My contention is that the environment is a bit
more complicated that that.  Currently so many AS/400 developers take their
platform for granted, because they can.  I meet so many programmers,
analysts, project managers who are one step above the "Start a career in
Data Processing" types educated from matchbook university.

Besides, any tightly integrated development environment IBM creates would be
labeled "proprietary" and would fail in the "open" (as long as it's
Microsoft compatible) world.

-Jim
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