RE: DATE fields in RPG-IV

        BobCozzi @ ibm.net
09-10-97 08:57 AM
To:     MIDRANGE-L @ midrange.com
cc:      
Subject:        RE: DATE fields in RPG-IV

>Chris,
>
>Interesting arguments on your part. I agree that we cannot read anyone's 
>mind. Perhaps some people can, but I cannot, can you?

Certainly not. 

>That's about it. You're right I can't read their minds. But _you_
certainly 
>don't know what I know. You don't know what conversations I've had, and 
>with whom I've had them. I don't usually discuss such things because 
>confidentiality is what keeps the lines of communication open.

You are right, I do not.

>Most (but not all) of the people at IBM are NOT thin-skinned anymore.
They 
>can take it. It's one of the reasons Rochester and Toronto are producing 
>good things (for example, the new "e" series and VisualAge development 
>tools).

>From time to time IBM throws a developer to the customers, at COMMON or 
>elsewhere. This gives the developer exposure and often cures any 
>imperialistic attitude. If the developer can't handle getting out of the 
;-)

>coding dungeon, the usually don't come back, move on to another position 
>within IBM, or leave IBM.

>A personal attack, to me is something like "Hey Chris, does Bill Gates
know 
>you stole his clothes?"  or "Gosh, you know, you child can only get
better 
>looking with time."

>Just because somebody is a programmer at IBM or Microsoft or calls 
>themselves "Mr AS400" or "Mr Mainframe" does mean they know everything.
It 
>doesn't mean they don't make mistakes. But this is a business world we
are 
>in. It is not a social club. If I'm a customer and the DATE
implementation 
>is taking to long to allow me to do some task, then I have the right to 
>complain about it. While there are several methods of complaining, such
as 
>reader survey cards, the Internet feedback forums and when you buy 
>something for $15 and don't like something about it, you return it to the 
>store. If your company pays between $25,000 and $1,500,000 for an AS/400, 
>they have a right to bitch about the little things.

>Customer to car service department:
>"My new car rattles when I go over speed bumps"

>Service dept.
>"We checked with headquarters and the engineer said they never expected 
>most people to drive over speed bumps. That's just the way the car 
>behaves."

>Customer:
>"I don't care, the piece of sh.. rattles! Fix it anyway."

>Is that a personal attack on the engineer?  Maybe, but who cares?

You left out the part about where the customer says the engineer won't
redesign the car because he is too proud. Then, he justifies his statement
by alluding to secret phone calls he was privvy to. There is no pretty way
to perceive this, Bob. 

And when the customer making the complaint is a high profile and respected
member of the automotive community, perceptions change. People might begin
to consider that the direction of the automobile and/or it's components is
ruled by tempermental engineers with personality defects.

You have a right to bitch about the problems. I have a right to bitch
about the problems. My complaint with your posting remains the same. While
I find it certainly valid that you wish to indicate that IBM should
improve timing in the DATE fields, I find it inappropriate and
unproductive to accompany such a complaint with statements which blame the
lack of change on the failings of the programmer. That programmer has a
manager, right? Is the manager too proud as well? 

What I think is that they put a lot of thought into what direction they
were going to take before they took that direction. Once on that path they
must give consideration to all the people who may have thrown in their lot
with them. If toolmakers like Synon or application developers like J D
Edwards have started building on the foundation provided, IBM might be
making a big mistake in changing that foundation.

That is what I _think_. I don't have any phone calls in to Rochester nor
Toronto. I can't read minds. 

However, if the performance issue keeps developers like yourself from
using that foundation, then IBM must re-evaluate the decision. I don't see
that as a question of the engineer's pride.


>Bob Cozzi
>Bob@RPGIV.COM
>www.rpgiv.com
>AS/400 Books:  http://www.rpgiv.com/as400Books.html







Chris Rehm
Mr.AS400@ibm.net
You have to ask yourself, "How often can I afford to be unexpectedly out of 
business?" 
Get an AS/400.
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to "MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com".
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MAJORDOMO@midrange.com
|    and specify 'unsubscribe MIDRANGE-L' in the body of your message.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---