XML Parsing and other fine songs of the south

OK I'm in a quagmire finding out what could be the better way to perform 
simple/complex XML parsing in OS/400

No - comparatively, after downloading XML/Soap from Microsloth and having a 
working model parsing all the info I wanted up within hours, getting the same 
thing to happen within OS/400 with the same ease isn't jumping out at me.

I have
1) Downloaded the latest Alphaworks code - which has theoretically been 
re-branded as 5733-XT1 however when I asked my BP about this, he wasn't able to 
find it - oh and IBM is now charging (are you ready) $250 for these XML tools.  
Again - from what I read of the Docs, it looks tastes and smells exactly like 
the FREE Alphaworks samples
2) DB2 Extenders for iSeries - fascinating product, but the documentation is 
terrible - half the time, I'm editing files on the PC, running commands on the 
PC that really execute SQL's on the 400 etc... basically you spend 4 hours 
looking like your making an intricate model car <some of you will know the look 
I'm talking about> and in the end, you get an obscure error (QICU library not 
found?) which isn't addressed in the documentation.
3) Write it yourself - my string skills are fine - I can look for XML tags like 
mad...
4) Use Java and SQL for all file IO - pluses and minuses for this method but 
MAN in a ROOM filled with RPG people, you'd think I could find a simple parser

So on the Ignite list, I tried to find out who's using the DB2 Extenders (a 
promising product) - and nobody said ANYTHING - I mean it.  So who's doing XML 
on an AS/400, why are they doing it, and how are they doing it!  Not that I 
wanna know much.

Andrew Borts / Webmaster
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