RE: Systems Programming

["Steve Glanstein" <mic@xxxxxxxxx>]

> [snip snip]
> Steve, my memory isn't that good
> anymore for things in 1987, where you there for those meetings?
> Did I run into you at Rochester for the System C testing?

No --- I was working on S/36s and managed to avoid the S/38 altogether. The
only trip to Rochester was when the Common Security Task Force was trying to
do something security-wise.

I thought I could avoid the limelight on security and just live out my days
in beautiful Hawaii...computers, jets, parliamentary, and some martial
arts...

I digress...MI is like a precise laser guided missile. It hits the problem
on the head...It takes very little memory and it's fast. Unfortunately its
application in the business world is somewhat limited compared to, say RPG,
visual Basic, etc.

For example, I just finished a special security hash project in visual
basic. Some years ago we thought of doing the same project in RPG. Using MI,
I could have done it in 1/2 of the time or less with practically no problem
with unsigned arithmetic, circular bit shifts, buffering, etc.

In fact with the CIPHER MI command, the MI code would be less than two pages
and no understanding of the algorithm would be required!

>
> "In summary, you might want to have some of us develop sample
> projects that
> could be used for a semester course in MI...running in user state of
> course."
>

I was responding to the guy from Budapest. It might help them if there were
some sample MI programs that could be written to accomplish practical MI
tasks.

> That sounds like fun.  I haven't taught MI since the 80s at Common.  I
> wonder if I still remember how ...  With ILE C, I'm not sure it
> makes sense to write  MI any more.

You might be right...if I could figure out the proper includes then I might
not need MI...
>
> I had to teach myself MI.  I wonder how easy we should make it to learn?
> For that reason, the idea of an e-course doesn't appeal to me.
>
Me too...We don't lose anything by making this language easier to learn...We
really gain something.

Steve Glanstein
mic@aloha.com

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