RE: IBM pushing Java

[Colin Williams <Williamsc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

What happens when you get to mybean10,000 and the application is poorly
documented? 

                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Buck Calabro/commsoft
[mailto:mcalabro@commsoft.net]
                Sent:   Tuesday, March 23, 1999 8:51 PM
                To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
                Subject:        Re: IBM pushing Java

                On 03/23/99 01:40:29 PM Blair Wyman  wrote:

                >Take another hypothetical...  If MyModule is so
convoluted that I have
                >to relearn it every time I want to patch it, and it
looks like I'll be
                >patching it fairly frequently, it might make economic
sense to start
                >over and write the function from scratch using a more
maintainable
                >design.  Do I risk adding "undocumented features" such
as poorer
                >performance?  ...or changed behaviors?  ...or broken
                >backward-compatibility?  You bet.  Risk vs. reward.
Cost vs. benefit. 
                >Holyfield vs. Lewis. 

                And the circle is complete.  You have exquisitely
described traditional 
                midrange programming technique.  The whole point of Java
is that it's a 
                chance to do it right - rather than have a MyModule that
is too convoluted 
                to understand, we'd write MyBean1, MyBean2, MyBean3...
each bean is 
                responsible for one business task (function) - no more,
no less.  It then 
                becomes easier to write, test and debug each bean
(function) because each 
                bean is simple.  The entire application becomes easier
to understand 
                because each bean does only one thing.  It also makes
the application more 
                robust (less brittle) because each individual component
is more robust 
                because they're easier to test/debug! 

                You get these benefits with any parameterised,
encapsulated design 
                methodology, including ILE RPG IV, but Java is not
confined to the AS400. 
                This means that you can hire non AS400 people to help
out and they'll be 
                productive quickly.  How long does it take to bring a
new RPG400 person up 
                to speed?  New, as in "never heard of an AS400."

                I've been doing RPG for 20+ years, and I'm happy to be
learning Java - it 
                has a lot of promise.  Think of it the same way you
thought of S/38 CPF 5.0 
                 :-)  It may not be perfect yet, but it's pretty good
and getting better!

                Buck Calabro
                Billing Concepts Inc (formerly CommSoft), Albany, NY
                mailto:mcalabro@commsoft.net
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