RE: Why NOT the web?

> I can see wanting to lock it [a record] if you want
> to display it in a form for update, but not for inquiry.

Or, NOT lock the record until submitted for update.

Keeping a "before image" of the record, and CHAIN(ing) to the "current
image" of the record, would enable the program to implement logic to deal
with records that may have been changed in the mean time by another user or
program.  How the program deals with a previously changed record probably
depends on the application.

Write over the top of previous changes?  Redisplay the current record on the
screen with a message indicating that another user beat you to the update?

The problem of locking a record before writing it to the screen is that you
never know how long the user will retain the lock, which may cause other
programs to abend.  Whether the UI is 5250 based, or browser based, it seems
that you're dealing with the same issue.

Nathan.