Re: WDSCI-L Digest, Vol 5, Issue 174

Hi Bill,

Yes, IBM wants the System i community to embrace modernization.  This has been 
a problem for IBM since the S36 refused to die...  The perception of the System 
i as antiquated or "behind the times" gets back to the software that is 
available for the platform.  IBM needs modern software for the platform to 
entice new customers, and modern software is not easy to develop with stone-age 
tools like SEU, SDA, RLU, and so forth.

You are correct that Java is not an ideal language for business application 
programming.  However, it is extremely robust for middleware, which is used to 
EXTEND the platform, allowing our HLL applications to be delivered to new 
interfaces.  The new mantra in IT is all about enhancing reusability of 
business logic through modular deployment architectures like web services or 
SOA.  Old ideas, new techniques and tooling.  Java brings the rich environment 
needed to glue the new parts to the old.  What Java lacks in performance and/or 
resource handling is far exceeded but the richness and extensibility of the 
environment.  

Ok, so we have architectures that allow us to write our business logic in RPG 
for use ANYWHERE we want.  Need that product costing routine on that web based 
order entry?  No problem, just run the web services wizard to create the 
interface.  Invoke it from the web app, and your done...  What about consuming 
a web service from your RPG app (Sales tax service, credit card billing, 
address verification)?  Again, you have wizards to build an interface that can 
be called from your HLL application to access a service.  Can you do this in 
SEU?  Probably...  Is it productive?  Probably not....

JMO,
Eric

-----Original Message-----
From: wdsci-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:wdsci-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Bill Barnes
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 10:06 AM
To: wdsci-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [WDSCI-L] WDSCI-L Digest, Vol 5, Issue 174








I'm sorry that you've had so much trouble with WDSC Bill.  It seems
you've 
been particularly unlucky - I don't think we've all had quite as many 
problems.

As for the question of your co-workers, I don't think I'll ever
understand 
the "if I use WDSC, I have to use only WDSC" mentality.  I still use
SEU, 
PDM, and even the green-screen debugger from time to time.  Sometimes
it's 
just the simplest way to get the job done.  I don't really see why
that's 
a problem - I like having multiple tools available to work how I see
fit.

The perception is being pushed by IBM.  The impression is that they want
everyone off PDM and on RSE.  Just like they want everyone to "Migrate
to WEBSPHERE".  I have not seen any compelling reasons to use WEBSPHERE.
JAVA doesn't seem to be an easy language for business.  I know it is a
resource hog and it seems to run slower than either COBOL or RPG.
Visual Basic is simple to use but lacks the robustness of RPG.

As for your problem installing the RSE Extensions - what version of WDSC

are you running?  There was a bug that was fixed sometime after the 
initial 6.0 release that sometimes caused problems after plugin 
installation.

I am on the absolute latest version prior to the much vaunted V7.0  The
version numbers are a tad confusing since I have upgraded 2 or 3 times
and get a successful completion but the version numbers don't seem to
reflect that.  When I do the check for updates thing it says I am cool.

HTH,
Adam