RE: VAJAVA vs CODE/400

>Thanks for your input. Those are basically my feelings on learning new
>technologies. But my main question is, where does Java lie in the great
>scheme of things. Maybe you can lend more insight into this, at least from
>IBM's point of view. There are quite a few paths available for creating a
>GUI over AS/400 Data. From VARPG to VB to Delphi. Should I go on?

Everyone should understand that I am not allowed to speak for IBM.  My
participation on this list (or any other IBMer's) is never official unless
I go way out of my way to say otherwise.  This is most emphatically me
talking.

If you want IBM's opinion of Java, there's gobs of web pages devoted to the
subject.

For my own money, I think Java is the best way to go and what I use myself
for these kinds of functions.  Partly, that's because I work at IBM.  I
never know what platform my code is going to run from next.  Whether it is
iSeries, Windows you-name-it, AIX, Linux, or even VM, when I take the
trouble to write a bit of code, it can end up (for a variety of reasons,
too obscure to know in advance) to have to run on any of the above.

Java's portability is very real and makes it an excellent choice for
client/server computing and network ("web") code in general.  I can't think
of a more network-friendly language.  I wrote a SNTP (Simple Network Time
Protocol) program in half a day.  And since ran it on every platform in
sight.

If you are very certain your code is never going to migrate, in whole or in
part, between your PC and the iSeries, or that it will never have to run on
Linux, or a dozen other things, then VB or Delphi is just fine.  But, for
my money, on stuff I do myself, I can't afford to invest in stuff that
can't move around anymore.  This includes GUI type code at least as
emphatically as anything else.

I can't speak to VARPG -- I am not smart enough about the product.


Larry W. Loen  -   Senior Java and iSeries Performance Analyst
                          Dept HP4, Rochester MN


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