RE: Replacing IIS with iSeries 400

> Joe, I'm sorry you're so upset you hate my reply.  I can only
> interpert what I read, not what you intend to imply.

I'll try to make my comments easier to understand.


> Joe, I choose not to comment on them. I am quite capable of comment but I
> think it's all been said before. I'm of the school of thought
> that says 'if the gain exceeds the pain' and costs less then I'm in.

Whatever.  Ignore the questions, harp the rhetoric.  You haven't answered a
single technical question with anything but marketing hype, so my suspicions
are hardly allayed.


> What generated code? I've never looked ar a line of it other than
> than at a
> demo. My JSPs and HTML do not get effected by recomplies unless I choose,
> why do I need regeneration?
(snip)
> Spot on, why walk if you have a car? (sorry, auto)

Again, whatever.  You're satisfied with the code it generates, so cool.  Is
there a LANSA source level interactive debugger as well?  In that case you
never have to see the generated code, and you may actually have close to a
4GL.  Your answers, although very non-technical, definitely make LANSA sound
pretty nice for new development.


> >  For example, how well do you support IFS stream
> >files?
> Very well
>   Complex APIs?
> Yes
>   Pointers?
> Yes
>   Can you write a condition handler in
> >LANSA?
> Yes
>   A database trigger?
> Yes

You have pointers in LANSA?  Wow!  That's unusual for a 4GL.  What's the
syntax for basing a pointer on an externally described data structure?  Or
setting a pointer based on the contents of a field in a data structure?  Or
the syntax for reading an IFS file?


> But I thought you hadn't used LANSA at all? to be honest I haven't tried
> BOMs or MRP in LANSA either so I can't comment on those but we have
> developed some pretty complex web based systems, standalone and with and
> full legacy system integration.

I haven't.  Just wondering if anybody has.  Obviously you haven't.  And you
don't write low-level stuff, either.  What do you write?


> Why? do you not believe me? Why not try it yourself? I beleive there is a
> FOC developer deal in the US.

Nope, don't believe you.  Or, if you can do it, it's damned difficult.
Can't find any syntax on the website.  Can't find any example code anywhere.


> So?  we could handle it in any no. of ways also.

Show me the code, man!  Talk is cheap.


> Anyhow, in summary I feel your initial generalization re 4GLs is
> misguided;
> obviously I will not be able to change you mind as it's pretty
> well made up.
> Looking back at your initial response to Don I'm now struck by
> how close you
> product 'promo' is to the early ads. for LANSA for The Web, maybe
> we're not
> a million miles apart after all.

Hey, I'll be honest, it's been a long time since I reviewed code generators
or 4GLs.  If LANSA has a high-level interactive debugger, access to pointers
and APIs, a configurable UI generator, and a solid optimizer, and doesn't
cost an arm and a leg, it may actually be a viable platform for new
development.  If LANSA further separates business logic from UI, so that I
can call the business logic separately from anywhere and assign different
user interfaces to the same program, then it's all good.  (Of course,
there's still the issue of reverse engineering existing software, but that's
another issue for another day.)

Anyway, you say you can do all these things, but you haven't shown us a line
of code.  In fact, you sound like a marketing guy, and the worst thing
possible is to believe your own hype.

Final question: as a LANSA partner, is the mdc.ie website written using
LANSA?