RE: What can be done to enhance the green screen applications?

[Joel Fritz <JFritz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

IMHO A lot of the dds enhancements don't work too well (maybe
inconvenient for the user is a better way to put it.)  DBU uses drop
down menus and some of the other new features, and consensus among DBU
fans I know is that they look nice, but...

I think it's hard to make this stuff work well if you're programming for
terminals rather than emulation.  Part of the difficulty is the limited
number of keystrokes you can capture from an AS/400 display vs. a unix
or pc screen where you have no choice but to examine every keystroke.  
 
One thing I like to do is a simple yes/no dialog box with one or the
other as the default value.  You can write a generic subprocedure to do
it, and then pass it the values and have done with it providing you
always have an identical message window in your dds.   

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pat Barber [mailto:MBOCEANSIDE@postoffice.worldnet.att.net]
> Sent: Monday, October 25, 1999 10:14 AM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: What can be done to enhance the green screen 
> applications?
> 
> 
> boothm@earth.goddard.edu wrote:
> > 
> > Too many times I hear and see RPG programmers talking about
> > efficiency, speed, and effectivness but Windows and GUI is 
> teaching us
> > that we are using the wrong values for today's users and managers.
> > People may talk about stability and speed but when it's 
> time to spend
> >  company's money they go for glamour and looks.
> 
> You bring up some very valid points.. The problem with the "older"
> screens
> are just that... they are "older" so nobody(programmers) who 
> wants to go 
> back and update them with the new features(I am guilty).. I remember
> very
> well when the pull down,push buttons,radio knobs,etc,etc came 
> out as an 
> option.... To this day... I have never seen "ANYBODY" actually use
> them...
> 
>  I tried a few of the features in one or two programs but 
> since I didn't
> have the time or desire, I forgot about them and continued on in that
> same
> old fashioned way..... The problem is US, not the users.... 
>  
> Does anybody use all the new features that are
> announced...nawwwwwww.....
> they look at them and say.. "that's nice" and let's move 
> right along to
> the
> next problem...
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