"Many RPG programmers would like to be able to port their apps to other operating systems"...NOT

"Many RPG programmers would like to be able to port their apps to other
operating systems."
Hans, you are completely wrong about porting applications.  As a long-time
midrange developer and ISV, I can guarantee you the only reason I'll switch
platforms is because IBM has erected one more idiotic anti-customer
anti-business partner roadblock.  Or if somebody else comes up with
something palatable...and I like SoftVelocity's Clarion.
The iSeries platform gives me outstanding reliability; this means I don't
have to code recovery in applications (other than ROLBK) or worry about a
specific drive filling up.  If I moved to another platform, my entire design
would destabilize because of all the additional coding I'd have to do, and
my business would destabilize because of the increase in "system"-type
service calls.  My people know the application and I don't want them
spending their time explaining how to restore a backup.
The value of a programming language is in its capabilities to do what the
programmer (and by extension the application designer) wants.  While I have
a large investment in code, I have a larger investment in industry
knowledge.  The System/38, AS/400, and iSeries (along with RPG) have
provided a near-perfect environment for translating my industry knowledge
into a significant application for the transportation/logistics industry.
And ILE RPG IV (that's the one name that covers it all) now allows me to do
even more.  Going to another platform won't require learning the business
rules over again; it will require a complete, platform-friendly design.
One of the amusing aspects of my career has been dealing with IT managers
running other platforms and refusing to believe one person (me) wrote a
major ERP application.  Having industry knowledge is a key part of what I've
done; programmers who don't understand their business don't do things right,
and they release a flawed application or they never release anything because
they're shooting in the dark.  We don't talk about that; instead I offer the
Big Blue explanation: IBM's CPF-based midrange product is remarkably
productive; there is virtually no "system"/DBA stuff, and there are few
technical limitations in the system or programming environment.
Let's get serious about applications: there are always a couple of key
programs in any business system, and I'm not talking about some weenie
reports.  A high-level procedural language (RPG, COBOL, PL/I) is a
requirement to handle exceeding complex business processes like rating
(pricing), dispatch, and financial accounting.  Business programming is NOT
about adding one column to a report.
There's an 80-20 rule in force here: 20% of the programs generate 80% (or
better) of the intermediate or final output.  Python would choke on some of
the application logic I need to handle...
Going to another platform won't require learning the business rules over
again; it will require a complete, platform-friendly design and an
implementation in the best language for the platform.
-rf