RE: Newbie - Tab vs. Return

Geezer alert.

I started my programming career on remote System 38's via dialup.  Every
interaction with the overworked CPU through the inadequate leased lines just
ruined your day.  I used to code RPG in SEU starting with an IF20 to blow
out 20 blank source lines.  Most every programmer used some variation on the
same technique, keying in a page of code before prompting for the next page
of blank lines.  You'd hear quiet exclamations of "Yes!" all over the office
as a terminal (remember them?) would slowly cycle back 20 accepted lines
with no syntax errors.  This shop produced a lot of folks who could key long
complex CL commands at the command line with as few keywords as was
required.  This was where the "prompting is for wimps" quote came from.  I
can remember the first time I saw the prompt for an RPG C-spec in SEU.  I
had been out of training for a while when another seasoned programmer of 3
or 4 months had accidently popped up the prompt and we couldn't figure out
how to get rid of it.

As I get in discussions with Unix and VMS bigots they'll tell me that what
they like least about the system is its menu-driven, spoon-fed prompted
command interface.  (Some of these folks are the same ones who get all
excited over SMIT on AIX.)  I've never viewed the OS as a menu and prompt
driven interface.  That came much later.

-Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Landess [mailto:steve_landess@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 4:28 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Newbie - Tab vs. Return


I like the fact that when you leave a required field blank on a source
statement, SEU will highlight the field and position the cursor to the field
in error.

For example, I would code the CHAIN operation, leaving the indicator field
blank, and press <Enter>.  SEU would highlight the appropriate indicator
field and position the cursor to the indicator field, where I would then
type the indicator number.  To me, this is faster than using the cursor
control (right arrow) key to position the cursor to this field.

Unfortunately, this works better with RPG/400 (OPM) source than with ILE
source.  Since CHAIN now doesn't require an indicator, this technique
doesn't work quite as well...

Steve Landess
Austin, Texas
(512) 423-0935


"Jim Damato" <jdamato@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'" <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 3:16 PM
Subject: RE: Newbie - Tab vs. Return


> You'd get more of the functionality you're looking for if you were to
prompt
> your source lines in SEU.  Unfortunately, prompting is for wimps.
>
> -Jim