Re: Green-screen versus browser

[Rob Dixon <rob.dixon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The question was about Green-screen versus browser, but many of the 
responses have been about how to create a GUI based solution which 
really only becomes relevant if and when a decision has been made to 
create a GUI.

I have always favoured green screen, but users, particularly the younger 
ones brought up on Windows, perceive green screen as out of the Ark. 
They accept that Windows falls over all day long and believe that that 
is how all computing is.  I have found that explaining that an iSeries 
cannot be brought down by a rogue program and is generally re-booted 
very rarely is often a waste of time - they know all there is to know, 
have lots of experience and I (and probably quite a few others on this 
list) are just old folks who are years behind the times.

If you have only green screen solutions, many will complain about them, 
however efficient and reliable they are, and they will associate iSeries 
with green screen.  So they will want to ditch iSeries.  They would much 
prefer a GUI.  They do not understand that movng their hands from 
keyboard to mouse and back and aligning the pointer so that they can 
click may keep them very busy but it is very inefficient, even if the 
response times are the same.

I don't believe that you can fight against this - the reaction to green 
screen is not based on logic.  In addition, as we all know, browsers do 
have some good points.

The best answer in my view is to create a browser solution which looks 
modern where they can point and click and where they can also operate 
just like a green screen application, with function keys operating as on 
5250.  This is what I have done.  My belief is that the pointers and 
clickers will eventually discover that there are these cool things 
called short cut keys and they will start to operate using function 
keys.  They will believe that they are operating a modern system in a 
cool way.  What they are really doing is using a 5250 interface in 
modern clothes.  On those occasions where clicking is the only choice, 
such as working with images, they can use their mouse and it is the best 
tool for that job.

Having created this new browser interface did not mean that I actually 
used it myself.  My new rules didn't apply to me!  Recently however, I 
have stopped using 5250 for a lot of my work, although I still use it 
for development.  I am even getting used to and perhaps even liking the 
new interface, and it also means that I can click on mailto: links in my 
AS/400 database to send emails and I can click on callto: links to make 
VOIP calls (using Skype) so I don't have to put email adresses or 
telephone numbers into my PC packages for emails or telephony.  Whatever 
PC I use to sign on, I have access to that info.  I also store URLs  in 
my AS/400 database and they can click on those at any time.  All of this 
info is stored centrally and shared, without redundancy as when stored 
on each user's PC.

HTH

Rob Dixon