Re: Ardent Supporters (was Re: Have you read this?)

Krys,

In a message dated 1/11/00 10:43:33 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
Krys_Theodore@WHJI.COM writes:

> Funny.  I have NEVER known anyone who did their subfiles in COBOL and batch
>  in RPG.  Sometime in my 20 years you would think that would have shown up.
>  It didn't.  Maybe I just worked with people who could write subfiles in
>  RPG?

Perhaps that was a poor "regional" example.  Then again, I've seen several 
recent RPG programs from major ISV's that could have used a good SELEC 
statement or two, but didn't.  The point was that languages are tools to be 
used where appropriate, not that they always are.  Some languages move 
forward, and the advantages/disadvantages list changes with each release of 
OS/400.

The problem is that IBM has made it _TOO_ easy to move forward.  Back when I 
used to migrate /36 accounts for a living, I was constantly having OCL and 
RPG commands fail because they were supported 34>36 but not 36>400.  Now that 
the code's across, ILE is hard to come by "in the field" but 
program-described files and left-hand indicators are easy to run across.  
Some people have to be _FORCED_ to use a new paradigm.  The "we'll upgrade it 
when we get the time" excuse seems to never get the time.  I find it ironic 
that lack of a migration path was probably the biggest gripe everyone had 
moving from the S/3 to the /32/34/36, yet the very existence of that 
migration path (due to the so-called "open systems" movement) has stagnated 
the use of the wonderful things that Hans and his contemporaries are 
providing for us and forcing a knee-jerk move to JAVA ("open systems" once 
again).

IMNSHO, "open systems" are a pipe dream that never will, nor should, be 
realized.  If all computers did the same thing, why would you need more than 
one?  If a language could run, unchanged, on any computer at optimum 
performance with GUI, mathematics, and database handling, why would you need 
more than one?  Granted, computers will eventually reach the point where RPR 
is not a consideration, but it is now and will be so for the forseeable 
future.  Use what works in your situation...

Regards,

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

"The best way to win an argument is to begin by being right." -- Jill 
Ruckelshaus
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