Re: The Future -- MIDRANGE-L

John,

Wow, I hear a very defeated person here giving arguments for why they are defeated. But from my point of view the arguments are specious and seem to be heavily influenced by the developers you work with. Perhaps ILE-RPG doesn't have every capability you want but to me is sounds like a workman blaming his tools. Speaking of tools, RDP can be had for about the price of a good multi-screen PC or put another way probably less than 1% of the annual cost of a developer. I don't know a tradesman anywhere who doesn't spend many times that percentage on their tools. Get over the price. One final thing, if Java is the end-all be-all you describe, you are aware that it's comes on i for free correct?

I would consider seeing a specialist before you become further depressed.

I'm not a Doctor, but I play one on the computer.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

On 9/16/2010 4:43 AM, john e wrote:

--API - OS400 is a mature environment, with a HUGE collection of runtime> code that can greatly simplify our tasks. Need to read and write stream> files in the IFS? There's and API for that You keep yourselves telling this kind of non-sense; thats the problem.

OS400 is a mature environment, true, and has lots of advantages.But... a HUGE collection of runtime code is something this platform does NOT have; which is one of the big problems with this platform (i.e. supporting modern programming tools/environment). APi's to write to streamfiles?? Come on, this is basic stuff. There is no platform/language whatever (even an old Commodore64; well i'm not sure but you get it) which does not provide this kind of basic API's. The reason that you can do this nowadays (since 10 years?) and that people get excited about it (and thats a good thing because most RPG'ers simply don't care) is the problem. It's tunnel vision.If you want a HUGE HUGE collection of runtime code, there is the Java platform, which is robust and HUUUUGE (which is a problem of it's own if you're new). It runs everywhere, you can download it for FREE, and you have very mature IDE's that you can download, also for FREE. The Java IDE is lightyears better that what we have wi!

th RDi (e.g. the editor and the "live" compilation/errorchecking etc). But for RDi you have to pay.Yes OS400 has lots of API's. Thats because its a big and mature OS. But mainly for system programming. And we build business apps. Why don't i still don't have something like an "associative array" in RPG. It' so essential. But nada.Nothing.You have to make a choice.1) Keep being employed as an RPG programmer and occasionally learn some HTML/Javascript/XML etc just so you can keep up with requests. This is possible but is mainly maintance work as new apps will be on other platforms. But in 20 years there will still be a need for RPG programmers, just like there is still a (albeit small) market for mainframe assembler programmers (good pay IF you find a job).2) Invest in new technologies. But this costs time (i.e. years). If you only know RPG right know it's too late. You had be doing this for years already.3) Do something else than software development.