RE: Newbie Questions -Reply -- MIDRANGE-L

Thank God for the AS400 professionals who don't mind lending the rest of
us a helping hand.  

I only discovered this rich, dynamic and incredibly valuable resource by
accident.  My hat is off to everyone who participates.  Isn't it the
diversity of skill level, ability, and a genuine willingness to help
others that has makes this such a great place!  As one of the previous
respondents said, 'The more I learn, the more I realize how much I
didn't know.'  

I would hate to see this forum reduced to a 'self-proclaimed experts'
arena where the average 'newbie' would feel embarrassed to ask a 'dumb'
question.  I could see some benefit to having a RPG400/CL discussion
group (Simon Coulter - a member here) has done excellent things with CL
and I am certain there is a wealth of talent that remains untapped.
Although I don't spend a lot of time programming, I have already saved a
few items as references that I know I will need in the future.

As others have already mention, RTFM is a great concept if you can find
the right manual or have access to the CD-ROM, or even know what
question to ask as a search criteria.  As demainds on our time
compresses in ever increasing demand for quicker and quicker responses
to problems or solutions, taking a day or more to try and find an answer
to a critical question (and knowing you have the correct answer) is just
not an option.  

Thanks to this open forum, I have already discovered answers to problems
that I didn't think were problems to begin with, but a function of the
AS400 or CA400!!  I would like to add my 2 cents (or 5 cents here in
Australia where we don't have any smaller coin denomination now). That a
link to a reference source or at least a redbook (or other) source would
be a fantastic addition to some of the responses, in particular about
OS400 and CA400 questions.  

Thanks again to all who participate.  I have come to rely on this group
for much needed support.

Alan

Alan Smith
MIS Manager, Toorak College
President, COMMON Victoria
Applications Div. Manager, COMMON Conferences
Old Mornington Road
Mount Eliza, Vic 3930
Direct: (61-3) 9788-7255  (61 Australia, 3 Victoria)
Switchboard: (61-3) 9788-7200           
Fax: (61-3) 9787-5888 
Alans@Toorakc.vic.edu.au <mailto:Alans@Toorakc.vic.edu.au> 
www.toorakc.vic.edu.au <http://www.toorakc.vic.edu.au> 


        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Scott Cornell [SMTP:CORNELLS@mercyhealth.com]
        Sent:   Saturday, October 10, 1998 12:06 AM
        To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
        Subject:        Newbie Questions -Reply

        Amen and Amen!

        When I was starting out, the company I worked for put me on
        telephone support for their Sys36 line of products...like on the
        FIRST *&$^# DAY!!  I did spend a good deal of time w/my nose in
a
        manual and puzzeling out code, but I'd have killed for a
resource
        like this list.  

        To say nothing of my self taught efforts to move on to the
        Sys38-AS/400.  The Sys36 was/is a great box, but it was very
        apparent that the AS/400 was the coming technology both from IBM
        and from my company.  Unfortunately, assistance and mentoring
was
        not to be found...those persons "fortunate" enough to have been
        assigned to the "cool & new stuff" were not willing to share
their
        knowledge.  I think probably they were proctecting "turf" and
their
        personal value to the company, but whatever the reason I was
forced
        to beg, borrow, plead, and steal just to get a /400 signon.
>From
        there I was on my own...I ouldn't even get people to loan me a
        manual, much less point out some of the more glaring errors I
made.

        Maybe my experience is rare, but from that day forward I have
always
        sworn to be the answer man to the best of my ability, no matter
how
        "dumb" the question might be.  True, my favorite acronym is
RTFM, but
        even if the answer is in the manual, pointing the newbie to the
        correct book and explaining what they're looking at really means
is
        the type of encouragement that will lead to more and more
        experimentation.  If we really want the /400 to become the
        widespread force it can and should be, discouraging "newbie"
        questions appears IMHO to be counterproductive in the extreme!

        Scott Cornell
        Mercy Information Systems

        >>> <DAsmussen@aol.com> 10/09/98 04:26am >>>
        Hello All,

        I may be wrong here but would like to start a discussion, if
        warranted, on the
        above subject.  In other words, respond to the list if you take
issue
        with
        what I'm about to say, _NOT_ offline.  There have been several
        questions
        posted lately from AS/400 newbies and, frankly, I was _APPALLED_
        at some of
        your responses.  Try to remember that the majority of AS/400
        _PROFESSIONALS_
        couldn't find this list (or anything else on the Internet) with
both
        hands and
        a flashlight.  Those of you that have moved from RPG or COBOL to
        OO should
        recall how difficult _that_ transition was at first -- just try
to imagine
        moving the _OTHER_ way.  

        Granted some of the questions were a little lower-level than we
are
        used to
        seeing here; however, IMO this list is for the free exchange of
        information
        regarding the AS/400 and IBM midrange systems at large to _ALL_
        people
        regardless of talent level (or employment situation).  Also IMO,
get
        used to
        it -- thanks in part to the efforts of people here, more people
are
        discovering the AS/400 that are already OO/Internet-savvy, and
those
        forced
        into 3GL's will inevitably ask questions like these.  If you
don't have
        anything constructive to say and its' not a "spammer", please
don't say
        anything at all -- we need all the AS/400 talent we can get...at
        _ALL_
        levels...

        JMHO,

        Dean Asmussen
        Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
        Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
        E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

        "I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages." -- Bill
Mauldin
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