RE: RSE confusion -- CODE400-L

Hi,

Maybe IBM should do a poll... and ask how many people have even the
slightest idea about what the different tools like WDSc, WSSDa, WDT, ... do.
I guess they would be surprised by the answers, and it should make them
think.

Somehow, with WSSDa ... which is already a big marketing joke, as everybody
is talking about WDSc 4, they seem to head into the good direction.  While
Microsoft offers their Visual Studio package already for many years at a
cheap price and at good performance (not requiring a PIII-600 with 512MB)
IBM is now at the early start of a similar integrated product.

It is only a shame that we still get a half product with many promisses and
this in 2002.

Kind regards,
Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: code400-l-admin@midrange.com
[mailto:code400-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Reeve Fritchman
Sent: woensdag 14 augustus 2002 18:11
To: code400-l@midrange.com
Subject: RSE confusion


I suspect the design team was pulled 90 degrees off course by some suit who
couldn't develop a hangover at a wake, much less an application.

If there is a strategic direction for the iSeries development toolset, it
will be clear after we've passed the station.  I doubt IBM knows which way
they're going; it seems like the game is to track the rest of the industry
in an attempt to prove the iSeries is a "server".  Today it's Eclipse; who
knows what "lunacy" it will be tomorrow?

If iSeries users aren't adopting these new tools, perhaps it's because
they're buggy or confusing.  Or maybe it's because they show up and there's
no continuity from one tool to another.

I think CODE is a great and highly productive product when used in the LAN
environment; I've been complaining about problems in the WAN and dial-up
environment for almost 18 months; I've gotten sympathy and kind words but no
results.  The Toronto group does what Buell Duncan tells them to do, and
it's anybody's guess after that.

While RSE is clearly a major effort, I'll admit to wondering why it's shown
up and how it helps me (an application developer) or my customers (most of
whom have single systems).  I have tons of application development on
backlog and I do not have time to experiment.  I left my ouija board in the
car: I don't have the patience to divine what IBM is up to, and I don't
appreciate some goofy bleeding-edge marketing/public relations program
masquerading as IBM's latest-and-greatest.  My customers and I pay big bucks
for OS/400 and I'm not seeing value.

We see consistent enhancements to ILE RPG; this is one bright area.  Phil,
George, Barbara, Hans and others: thanks!

I think most of us in the iSeries environment have *no interest at all* in a
standardized, cross-platform development toolset.  The iSeries is unique and
our tools need to give us the ability to take advantage of the power and
flexibility obvious to everybody on the planet except IBM senior management.
Java is clearly the right choice for many functions (I'll refrain from using
"applications") but I have no interest in Java-for-the-sake-of-Java, which
seems to be IBM's litany.  Or is it Linux-for-the-sake-of-Linux?  I can't
keep track.

IBM needs to fix CODE.  They need to get serious about a non-5250,
non-WebSphere interface for the iSeries.  HTML/JavaScript is fine; just have
support integrated into OS/400. [Sidebar: look at what Mel Rothman and
Giovanni Perotti have done in their spare time with CGIDEV2.  What is the
rest of IBM up to?].  IBM needs to provide butt-kickingly efficient tools
for developers, with lots of training aids and support.  I'll pay a lot per
seat but I want results.

It's sad that IBM was so far in front of the pack with the iSeries...

-reeve