RE: /FREE RPG compiler errors

Gary,

Why the apparent vilifying of RPG developers?
In most shops the programs don't get the choose whether or not they use
RPGIII, RPGIV or the /FREE stuff.
If the shops would spend the money to train their staffs on new stuff, the
staffs would move.
But largely that is not happening in mass. _One_ of the probems as I see it
is that IBM and the trade press seem to be to tired of the "old" stuff that
they permaturely jump on the new stuff and write articles and talk about it,
often even before it is shipped. This only does two things in my mind;
illustrates that even IBM doesn't like the stuff they put out, and two are
so bored with stuff that just works, that they are introducing new stuff
that doesn't work--today. 

Several developers that I've worked with don't have the time to bother
reading stuff about something that _may_ ship in 6 months or a year, because
it'll be at least 12 to 24 months before they system is updated with that
future stuff.

I'm working with a shop right now that has V5R1 on it and yet they do
everything in RPGIII. Not very fun. :(

Don't get me wrong, I agree that alternate syntaxes are relatively easy to
learn, but that's only if you've been using alternative syntaxes. For
example how many RPG programmers also know C?  More today than 5 years ago,
but certainly not many.

Problem with /FREE include the need to place a semi colon at the end of
EVERY statement. So unlike C, for example, this is an error:

  if    A=B
    B += C*D;
  endif

Instead, you have to code this:

  if    A=B;
    B += C*D;
  endif;

Note the additional semi colons. Belive it or not, some RPG programs try
this stuff and it doesn't work (like entering the first example) and they
figure it is buggy.  

Perhaps this could have been avoided with more planning and field testing.
For example, if they would have required parens around the condition on the
IF statement, I think many RPG programmers would have been satisfied with
that requirement vs requireing a semi colon after an IF statement.

But that's just one issue.

Bob


-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@midrange.com [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@midrange.com]
On Behalf Of Gary Guthrie
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 3:58 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: /FREE RPG compiler errors


Joe,

Do you really believe that a seasoned fixed-format RPG developer (such as
yourself) needs to invest considerable effort to use free-format RPG?

Even junior RPG programmers can make the switch in no time at all. I can't
imagine anybody taking more than a single day at most to make the switch if
they were sincere with their effort to do so. And, I say a day to be on the
conservative side.

All this talk about difficulty and such is Chicken Little rekindled.

Gary Guthrie
Senior Technical Editor, iSeries NEWS

Joe Pluta wrote:
> Probably the same thing I'd do if it were a COBOL program.  I'd either 
> learn the syntax or get someone to help me.  In fact, I had to add 
> COBOL support to PSC/400, and that was no small amount of learning.  
> And I may have to do the same thing for /free.
> 
> Thanks for your input.  I agree that it's always in your best 
> interests to learn new technologies.  However, we can realistically 
> only learn so much, and while the ILE conversion definitely makes a 
> sense based on return on brain-cell investment, for me the jury is 
> still out on /free.

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