Re: RPG Line Numbers: was externally defined D/S -- MIDRANGE-L



Date:   6/26/97  8:56 PM

RE:     Re: Sources for External Data Structures

>I am responding to Hans Boldt comments on ILE.  I think the basic concept of 
>ILE
>is great.  However, I think it is ugaly.  Ugaly is 1,000 times worse than ugly.
>As a developer, it is hopeless.  If a client calls up with a problem and u have
>to debug the pgm, good luck. What line number do u use?   Do you want to give
>all your clients your source, NO.  We worked with a client and they keep saying
>they had a problem.  We had NO way of debuging.  We compiled the pgm and 
>shipped
>them the new pgm and SRC.  Now we went into debug mode after 3 hours and found
>out that it was a user error.  UGH.  If this is progress, then we need the
>rosetta stone back.    ILE is OK for inhouse operations.  It is very very very
>bad for software vendors.  IBM should look at debugging as a major problem and
>get their head out of the sand.  Line number are very, very very, very, very
>very important.  However, Toronto must not think so.
>Peter H. O'Connor
>PAE

Peter
I share your frustration.  I remember the first time I saw what they were
doing and didn't like it either.  

However the design team did have a serious dilemma.  Lets suppose you have 
a line of calc's that says;

ADD   1   X

And you do not reference X anywhere else in your program.  If you optimize
the program, the compiler may throw out that line of calcs( there are
many similar situations involving intermediate result fields, etc)

Now you start Debug and put a break point on a line of calcs that DOES
NOT even exist in the Object code!  What would you like it to do?

The compiler might even "move lines of calcs around" during the optimize
process!  "What you see may not be what you have"  

We thought about it for days and still had paradoxes and loop holes where
we would still have problems. 

Its a tough situation.  However they didn't do it because it
"seemed to be a neat thing to do at the time"

I don't know the answer, I think what ever the solution would be, it 
would still upset someone.

John Carr CDP
EdgeTech (Designers of ETIKIT)

5921 Acorn Ridge Ct. 
Midlothian Va.   23112
Ph 804-739-7689
Fax 804-739-7950
74711.77@compuserve.com

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