RE: RPG.NET

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Scott Klement
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 12:45 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: RPG.NET

>On the other hand, if you're going to write Windows-only PC software,
>Visual Basic is a lot more mainstream, a lot more widely supported.
>You'll find lots of add-ons for it (though, they probably also work with
>RPG.NET)

not true.  COM components can be referenced in a .NET project just like they
can in VB6.

>and lots of code examples for various things on the Internet.

Microsoft's support for the .NET programmer thru its newsgroups is very
good.  A programmer will get much better support working in .NET than in
VB6.
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=microsoft.public.do
tnet.languages.csharp

>Though, it may be more difficult to integrate with an iSeries.

the base client access APIs are all DLL library based api calls. Just like
the calls to the WIN32 api. In .NET such calls are not difficult at all. You
use PInvoke ( platform invocation services ) to call out to such an api.
for example, the following .NET code is needed to call the "GetDriveType"
win32 api:

  [DllImport( "kernel32.dll" )]
  public static extern int GetDriveType( string sDriveName ) ;

>Java also has it's advantages, in that the code isn't Windows-only.  You
>can run it on Mac, Linux, *BSD, or even OS/400.

I question why we are all going over the java cliff with IBM without asking
why. .NET is a big improvement over VB6 ( and VB6 was pretty good. it was to
windows what RPG has been to the as400 )  Many, the vast majority? of as400
shops have windows on all the desktops. In such a setting, .NET and the
iSeries is far superior to java and the iSeries.

>Personally, I think using ANY of them is better than using none.  But, I
>will continue to avoid a .NET solution because I don't want to be locked
>into Windows.

respectfully, I disagree.

-Steve Richter