Re: RPGIII compiler vs Visual Basic

[Steve Richter <stephenrichter@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 6/15/05, Joe Pluta <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I think the point is that your VB6 programs may not run on new versions
> of Windows, and in fact that's been the case throughout the history of
> the operating system: in order to keep up to date, you have to rewrite
> your applications regularly.  With the iSeries, you can still run
> programs from 20 years ago.
> 
> Windows devotees will insist that this is somehow a bad thing, declaring
> that the ability to run old code somehow prevents you from moving ahead,
> but that's pure crap designed to hide a glaring deficiency in
> Microsoft's architecture.
> 
> With the iSeries, you can stay with old technology, move to new
> technology, or you can mix the two.  You can make a business decision as
> to whether it makes sense to rewrite perfectly good code - code that may
> have decades of tweaking for your particular business rules.  With
> Windows, however, you must rewrite your system to whatever the Microsoft
> application technology du jour is.  Right now it's .NET; who knows what
> it will be in five years.  However, I know that an RPG program I write
> today will still run a decade from now.  Those of us who remember the
> concept call that "protecting your investment".

Joe,

That might not be true going forward.  What does it cost to run an
hp3000 application nowadays?   IBM has moved on to Linux/AIX/Java.  
How certain are we that IBM will continue to market the os400 version
of the iSeries 2 years from now?   IBM management has demonstrated a
number of times recently its thinking is to not stay in sectors where
it does not make a profit.

-Steve