Re: EGL and RPG - The Fastest Path to the Future

FTA:

Cancilla: One of the benefits of RPG is that you can use the language and focus on understanding a business problem. This is in sharp contrast to, say, Java developers or C++ developers coming out of a computer-science curriculum where the focus is almost purely on technology.




If we really want to focus on business instead of technology, then why not leverage the real potential of the AS/400, i.e. a completely server centric approach within a simple, but powerful, and predictable environment, where the *complete* program is running on the server. And which communicates with the user via a 5250-like architecture. I.e. all code that is relevant (the application code) resides *and* runs on the server (the host). And the program uses an underlying architecture to present a modern user interface (a GUI that is).

But using EGL (or any other web technology) we are moving to client/server, the application is split up on the server and the client using completely different technologies.

These whole client/server and web/browser technologies *are* coming from a computer-science curriculum. It's cool, etc etc. But business is about reliability, and cost effective computing. And that is where the as/400 with 5250 shines (not counting the abominable 24x80 green screens). That is business oriented computing. Now we move (like the rest of the world) to "browser" based computing, which definitely has not emerged because it is so much better than host centric computing. It is simply more "cool", but not better. Therefore, the only reason RPG programmers want to use EGL is simply to put a pretty face on RPG. And that's simply because IBM completely neglected the business advantage of the as/400. IBM simply sees money in "open" and complex technologies, selling services. Wat we really, but really really need in IT is simplicity. And the as400 platform gives us this much needed simplicity.

IBM should have recognized the real value of the as/400 and built on that (i.e. modernizing the 5250 architecture). But instead they go with the flow because that made them money the last 10 years (open technologies, services, and no as/400 which "just works"). The rest is simply bullocks.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:26:15 -0500
From: joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx; rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx; egl-i@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [EGL-i] EGL and RPG - The Fastest Path to the Future

There's been some discussion both on and off the list about what EGL
bodes for the future of the platform and specifically RPG. I've been
pretty clear in my opinion that EGL may be the best thing to happen to
RPG since the display file, but I've heard a lot of muttering that "IBM
is going to kill RPG".

To find the truth, you have to recognize that IBM isn't a single
monolithic entity. While there is definitely a segment of the EGL team
that believes EGL can do anything RPG can do, another segment
understands full well that there are billions of lines of RPG code out
there - the last thing I read was that we're actually *adding* four
billion lines a year - and that a fundamental requirement of efficient
modernization involves taking advantage of that legacy code... and those
legacy programmers!

If you'd like to see a discussion of this issue that falls more in line
with this view of modernization, go here:

http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/i5/february08/qa/19749p1.aspx

Joe
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