RE: Linux and V5R2

There probably isn't anything intrinsic to the AS/400 that prevents an X
server from running. X is a large system, and takes *forever to compile (if
you chose). But I imagine it would work in the AIX/PASE environment. But...
How do you get at it? You would need the C API calls for X (or the toolkits
QT/GTK+ if you used them) or write RPG wrappers for them. But that's another
story.

The practical reason I would give is "The AS/400 isn't designed to do
that.", by which I mean until a few years ago, the AS/400 didn't have the
raw processing power to do everything X needs to handle. Also, the AS/400
was optimized for certain kinds of operations (read disk/transactional ops),
not CPU intensive interpretation of Perl. Ref. the Linux LPARs, PASE, etc.
especially with interpreted languages such as net.data, PHP, Perl, Python,
etc. all require what I would consider more raw power than compiled
RPG/CL/COBOL/MI code.

The AS/400 doesn't have built-in graphic hardware, so you would need a PC or
smart terminal/thin client terminal to take advantage of a GUIzed
environment. That's a somewhat expensive device to put on the shipping dock
that's more exposed to the weather, or on the shop floor in an misty/oily
environment.

And then... Why?

(I too mostly "lurk")
Loyd

--  
Loyd Goodbar
Programmer/analyst
BorgWarner Incorporated
ETS/Water Valley
662-473-5713
lgoodbar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
From: Smith, Nelson [mailto:NSmith@xxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 10:27 AM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: RE: Linux and V5R2


Let me ask a dumb question here.  If Unix/Linux, whatever, is character
based, and also old-as-the-hills, just like RPG & OS400, how is it they can
add a GUI interface and we can't?  I truly believe that's the only
difference that really matters to the end user. 

Anyone in Sales knows that "Sales cures all evils!".  No matter how many
other things in your company might be bad, outdated, or just plain
ridiculous, if you've got sales, nothing else matters.  Likewise, I think a
pretty interface on our systems would make all other issues go away, or at
least recede into the background.