Re: Impossible to even think about rewriting in RPG

Larry,
Where do I send you my C.Vitae? :-)

Sometimes you just don’t have a way out, as John Yeung wrote. In our case,
management decided about seven years ago go the HP/Oracle/SAP route, dumping
our AS/400 (it was a 720!) and our in-house developed software. In 2006 they
went thru the ASAP (Accelerated SAP) way, and we were supposed to be up and
running in six months. We went into production almost FOUR years later, with
huge cost overruns (as an example, the hardware had to upgraded at least
three times, and new servers added between 2006 and 2009), a lot of data
issues and other problems that continue to this day.

Meanwhile, back in 2006 it was decided to buy a 520, as our 720 (V4R5) was
at the end of its life. I had been recently hired as a full time employee
and it was suggested that I gave my coworkers some classes about SQL, V5R3
improvements, etc. Some of my coworkers’ attitudes were quite interesting:

1. ILE is too complex. Using *ENTRY and PLIST is a lot easier.
2. /FREE is very complicated. I prefer using my old RPG III syntax (not
even EVAL here).
3. I have been working with SEU for about 20 years. I don’t need WDSc.
4. SQL is too complicated (later on, when proposing a view for showing a
data in a particular way, I even had a project leader tell me, quite
literally: “Do that with a RPG program, I don’t really trust all that new
stuff (SQL)” ).

What happened? In 2007 our country went thru a currency conversion
(everything from 2008 onwards was to be divided by 1000). We had to change a
lot of programs and data. And, of course, the data conversion was made with
SQL and, for the RPG programs, the new routines were made under ILE… Even
our 520 is still up and running, being used as BI machine, accessing SAP
data and processing it with SQL.

Although none of my colleagues (with one exception, who has already left the
company) decided to change its ways, I was fortunate to be given a free
reign (?) (due to my productivity, if I may say so), so I run WDSc in my PC,
program using ILE, SQL, /free, etc. and even have some web apps up and
running for internal use (if I ever have the time, will try again another
shot to Python, just for kicks).
So it is not always up to you if you can step up to “newer” technologies or
not. Sometimes work (and life) gets in the way. That is maybe the reason I
don’t try to be critical when I heard of someone who still works in RPG/III
or even S/36. You just never know…
Best Regards,


Luis Rodriguez
IBM Certified Systems Expert — eServer i5 iSeries
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On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 5:12 AM, Larry Ducie <larry_ducie@xxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

The topics that dominate this forum at present are:

1. Management has decided to dump the IBM i and buy some shiny new windoze
package that we all know will cost more and be a disaster
2. I'm happy with my OPM code because although I don't use or fully
understand ILE I'm going to guess that my implementation of modular design
is better than IBM's so there's no point upgrading my skills to embrace ILE
3. My colleagues are killing me because they just wont upgrade their skills
to embrace ILE and they are holding me back

I'm wondering if there is a link between the three :-)

My $0.02 FWIW

If management allow a developer pool to stagnate then they deserve what
they get!
If a developer refuses to continually upgrade their skills they deserve
what they get!

I really feel for the developers at the vanguard (even though its been over
12 years since ILE was launched) because all they are really trying to do is
use the best tools available. Lack of support from management is ultimately
the reason for all of this. I blame the parents. :-)

The ultimate loser of course is the business. They trust IT management to
make the right decisions.

Of all the companies I've worked for the ones where management fully
embrace ILE and support the developers in enhancing their skills have
supported their business best. I have been that lone developer fighting to
get WDSCi loaded onto my PC, fighting for permission to write in /free,
fighting to be allowed to use service programs, etc... It is tiring and
frustrating for everybody involved. That particular company announced they
was dumping the system i (as it was then) just as I was leaving the UK to
move to Australia. At that point I was the only one who really understood
ILE and used WDSCi. I got myself IBM Certified (at my own cost) and I got a
job straight away - they're all good skills to have apparently. :-)

Now Im in a position to influence such things. Management here are
light-years away from my last shop. Our shop standards mandate ILE and RDPi
and /free. We provide 10 days a year for each developer for professional
development. They are encouraged to think outside the box and put forward
proposals for blue-sky research which may or may not work. The point is to
push the boundaries. We (IT and the business) have had some fantastic
unexpected wins from this!

We went through a process of adjustment but even the die-hards wouldn't go
back now. We are at the cutting edge in our use of ILE and have been for
several years. Honestly, you just wouldn't believe what you can do with this
stuff when you have 20+ developers all using ILE, all pushing the
boundaries, all enjoying their job!

There is another way!

Cheers

Larry Ducie

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