RE: Midrange Computing is liquidating.

>Part of the resaon the magazines page count has been coming down is that
>they have been offloading content to their internet web sites. At MC,
>articles were limited to 300 lines of code. This included DDS, Command
>specifications as well as RPG. Anything over that had to have some of it put
>out on the web. They also put a limit on the number of figures they would
>print per article (I think 3 or 4).
>
>I believe this decision led to a couple of negative results.
>
>1. People concluded that they weren't getting their money's worth based on
>the page count of the magazine.
>
>2. More "fluff", less technical pieces were being presented, ie. "How to
>Save Energy in your Office".
>
>Ron Hawkins

Ron,

The evolution to RPG IV caused source examples to double, especially when 
using API's. MC had to cut down on the source, but they are not the only 
magazine: News/400 does the same; for the complete code you have to visit 
the Web (for New/400 you should have an extended subsription). I have 
always regretted that, because reading the article with the source in view 
was a great benefit in understanding the working of some unknown elements 
of the system.

The last year there seems little to write about specific AS/400 issues, 
like using RPG. Before that  they would publish articles that dealt with 
elementary development (basic CLP, writing commands). Now it has been all 
about Java and Web-enabling,  just a segment of the spectrum the AS/400 can 
be used/is used, but completely overemphasized (overall in the press). A 
big issue herein (security) did not get enough coverage (IMHO). The "fluf" 
articles on Outlook and writing HTML using VB were put in to get a divers 
number of articles. Those articles, however, has made MC look more like a 
technical PC magazine than being aimed at the midrange segment. Articles on 
Unix and its variants did not seem attractive to the editorial board.

But having seen the other publications IIR have, the contents matter of the 
magazine or the website has anything to do with their decision. I think IIR 
has lost its sense of direction, like IBM has the recent years.

Just my Euro cent.

Regards,

Carel Teijgeler