We have people on the list who can't afford $400 a year for a full-blown
RDi-SOA license.
Yeah, but I think that is more because it is politics internal to IT depts.
For example, I have customers that have .NET staff who more or less get
whatever they need even if it wasn't budgeted, but the RPG/IBM i folks are
critiqued on small allotments (like the $400 for RDi-SOA). I am not
justifying the position, just pointing out what I feel is the reality. On
another note, I had the understanding that RDi-SOA was something like $2000.
Here is a URL supporting that understanding:
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/rdisoa/index.html
IBM is fighting a battle they have lost in the past and are making efforts
to regain entry into app modernization. This means they need to come in
under the radar in many instances. The best way to do that, IMO, is to have
a free version and a paid for version. This was brought up at the Raleigh
meeting earlier this year, but it obviously didn't take.
IBM needs to make it so EGL is the obvious choice because it is free (like
PHP) and then provide big productivity enhancements in the paid for
versions. Oh and make sure to have LOTs of videos showing the productivity
enhancements vs. bulleted lists on some ten-levels-deep-ibm-website-page
that nobody can ever find.
BTW, I am still not a 100% advocate for EGL as it relates to RPG shops, I am
simply stating how I would go to market if the tool were mine and I wanted
it to gain market share in IT shops of all sizes.
Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
midrange.com
