Re: Some fodder for marketing, perhaps

[Larry Bolhuis <lbolhuis@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Jon

Jon Paris wrote:
> I'm not a fan of GUI for GUI's sake.  I think there is still a role for a
> character based interface but end-users disagree.
>   
The end user PURCHASER disagrees, the end users themselves do NOT always 
disagree. My wife currently has the choice of entering data via the web 
or the 5250 interface.  She uses the 5250 interface exclusively. In 
heads down entry you simply cannot predict with certainty where your 
cursor will go on the web and you must switch from your entry form to 
the screen over and over. In addition you must often switch from the 
keyboard to the rodent and back. Neither of these are effective for best 
performance.  On the 5250 if they need to look something up they hit F4, 
locate the correct value and hit enter. On the web it's a pull down, 
scroll around a while then click. Sure you CAN do that with the keyboard 
but you can only use the first letters of entries in the list for 
positioning you can't 'search' the list.
> Ask any application or tool producer if they can sell a 5250 version of
> their product - or if they are still investing in green screen apps.  I
> don't think you'll find any.  End users decided long ago that they wanted a
> graphical interface.
>   
Graphical interfaces are fantastic for getting things OUT of the system. 
Query like logic, graphs, charts, pictures etc. are all wonderful on 
this side. It's not so bad for casual entry either especially when 
limited options exist as to what to do or limited fields to enter data 
in. But for those heavy data entry tasks the web still sucks more than 
my shop vac.
> Sure some existing customers still want 5250 apps, but they are in the
> minority and probably aren't upgrading hardware and still run S/36 code.  So
> even if they had threaded 5250 apps (which I really doubt the utility of
> anyway) they wouldn't buy/write them anyway.
>   
IF the application is S/36 and still work, great. Should lots of effort 
be put into maintaining those apps? Likely not. However in my Irish Took 
Box (it's a bucket-O-tools) I don't have just a hammer, I also have vice 
grips, screwdrivers, crescent wrenches, tape measure, a level, a punch, 
a tin snips, and likely several things I haven't seen in years. Each 
gets used where it fits best because not every problem is a nail.  
Simply abandoing the 5250 interface because it's not sexy does not make 
the application better. There is no harm in keeping that part of the 
application when it works better and is more efficient for the user (not 
to mention the machine.)

And one other thing, Just who the *&%$ decided it was more efficient for 
me to enter MMMMM instead of MI when I'm entering my address on a web 
page? I have lived in MI since the doctor first smacked me on the 
backside. I can enter MI and don't need a list of 50 states to pick 
from. Too bad Minnesota and Missouri and Mississippi we got MI you got 
something hard to remember. :-) Our friends to the north have far fewer 
than 50 provinces and I bet they get saddled with a drop down too. This 
is an example of something 'cool' (the drop-down list) being used when 
it simply is NOT more efficient for the user OR bandwidth to the 
browser. This is 'normal' web design  think.  Hey, how about we just 
enter the ZIP code and let the machine pull City and State from there! 
We did this 20 years ago on the green screen!!

- Larry
> Jon Paris
> Partner400
>
> www.Partner400.com
> www.RPGWorld.com
>