V5 availability

 >> No, no, no... we wanted NATIVE... not something that required yet
another operating system and machine...

To be fair to IBM Bruce, I'm not convinced that was really spelt out.
Every time native GUI came up in soundoff or elsewhere, someone (often many
someones) would tell IBM not to bother but simply to improve the Windows
interface. Windows, Windows, Windows.  That is what they were told and that
is what they have given us.

 >> you (and probably everybody else on this list) knows that it takes
almost no time at all to produce a command against the API.

Au contraire - I know that it costs a bunch of bucks to do this.  There's
the panel itself, the CPP, the help text, etc. etc. not to mention testing
it in a variety of usage situations.  Don't forget that while you and I use
English (well I do anyway <grin>) that over 60% of AS/400 users don't.  I
don't know how many languages the system stuff is translated into these
days but it is well into double digits.  The screen and help text as well
as any unique messages all have to be translated - it ain't cheap.

IBM have done some stupid stuff in this area, but the more we focus on
trying to persuade them to do stuff they can't/won't afford the less
pressure there is on them to do the APIs.

Just my 2 cents worth.



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