RE: DSPF Handling (was Re: Design shift of view)

[Rob Berendt <rob@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you for explaining this further.  The date field was a good example 
although I must confess that I had to force myself to shut up and read the 
entire thing before commenting further.

Let me see if I've got this right.  In your example you'd be able to change the 
properties of the date field and it would then be instantly accessible wherever 
it was referenced.  You wouldn't have to:
Recompile the field reference file.
Recompile all physical, printer and display files that refer to that 'object'.
Recompile all logical files.
Recompile all programs.

I have to confess an ignorance of VARPG, BIFs and the like.  Perhaps that 
opening, and the fact that I've been on IBM midrange for over a dozen years 
now, will explain the paradigm of my next query.

Is this kind of modularity attainable?  Will it perform to the users 
satisfaction?  For example.  I moved from straight RPG on the S/36 to RPGIII on 
the S/36 using software by ASNA.  I grew to love the program modularity 
attainable with the CALL statement.  You could change this program and not have 
to recompile everything, versus the /COPY method.  Now I see the CALL going by 
the wayside to procedures and CALLB and the like.  Back to recompiling or 
rebinding or whatever.  I see objects on the 400, and on PC's, growing huge in 
size, often performing the same functionality.
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