Re: Is CFINT IBM's way of getting rid of RPG?

What I have seen, including presentations from senior people from Toronto labs
who are responsible for RPG, tells me that RPG is very much alive.

I am as unhappy about the the interactive "surcharge" as any one, but there is
another way of looking at it.

Perhaps the following is IBM's motivation

The total price, including the interactive charge, is the one that IBM wants its
customers to pay, but if they charged that to all comers, they would be appear
very uncompetitive against the competition.  Solution?  give a discount to
non-5250 customers, but don't call it that, call interactive a feature and put a
price on it.  Of course we are not fooled, but if IBM actually gave what they
described as a discount to non 5250 users, we loyal band of customers would be
even more unhappy than we are.  I am not saying that I approve, but it could
explain their action.  Those that have to pay the interactive charge have to
include it in their total cost of ownership and I presume that in context,
annoying though it may be, it is a smaller percentage than as a precentage of
iSeries costs alone.

As for Java et al, IBM may not be trying to kill RPG (they haven't got a chance)
but to provide tools for new customers.  Those existing customers that don't 
like
Java are not compelled to use it.  But new customers are hardly likely to buy a
new iSeries and start using RPG and 5250 screens when their background is most
likely GUI/web based.

Of course they should charge the same price to all, but the above is a possible
explanation of their behaviour.  I learnt at a very early age that life is not
fair and it is one that I have not forgotten.

I really don't see the need for all this doom and gloom.


Best wishes

Rob
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Erros plc

44 (0) 1844 239 339

http://www.erros.co.uk - The AS/400 Neural Database for the Internet

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