Re: IBM iAccess

Since I started this thread I thought it appropriate to add my comments to Aaron’s.

Following Aaron’s instructions as posted on SO (Stack Overflow for those who don’t know it) I have now successfully installed the product and I must say that now that it is working properly I am more than happy with it. It is a BIG improvement over the Mochasoft emulator I have been using for the past 7 years. IBM seem to have done a really nice job on the software. Still wrestling with where to find a few of the settings etc. which aren’t where I expect to find them. e.g. Hotspot configuration only apparently available from within the 5250 window but not from the 5250 Session Manager configuration option.

The documentation and install process still needs work. It seems to try to to be all things to all people and in my opinion just doesn’t work. Linux/Unix folks may be used to diving for the command line to do every little thing but Mac users typically don’t. I’ve met many Mac users who don’t even know they have a command line interface! I’ll be passing comments directly to IBM on how to improve it. Most Mac installs follow a pattern and are normally simpler by far than those for Windows - this doesn’t fit the pattern and requires that you actually read the instructions - shock - horror - who does that?

Just as a warning to anybody who tries to tries to follow Aaron’s instructions - I could not get it to work initially. By default Safari was unpacking the zip file and for some reason even if I moved it to the applications folder and started Aaron's sequence there it just would not work. “No such directory” type errors. Didn’t investigate further - just stopped Safari from unzipping the file and all then worked as advertised.


Jon Paris

www.partner400.com
www.SystemiDeveloper.com

On Oct 21, 2014, at 8:38 AM, Aaron Bartell <aaronbartell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hello all,

IBM has been following this thread and I am now learning there is more to
the story than what I gave IBM credit for. Specifically, I didn't read the
documentation (did I mention I was once lost while driving and refused to
ask for directions? ;-)

One of the beefs I had was the app didn't follow the "Mac way" of
installation. Well, turns out the documentation tells you how to do that.
I believe many will just want a single approach to installing the
application so I created a SO post** to address it. Please up-vote the
entry as some people have already down-voted it saying the *question*
didn't show enough research (good grief).

**
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/26486630/how-do-i-install-ibm-i-access-for-mac

Aaron Bartell

On Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 5:29 PM, Jon Paris <jon.paris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Since it is the official IBM solution I’m trying to use this new product
on my Mac. To say I’m disappointed/underwhelmed so far is to put it mildly.

No hot-spot recognition that I can find (unlike TN5250J, Mochasoft and
others).

Doesn’t even pretend to be a native app. Other Java based tools that I use
appear just like any other Mac app. This one launches a terminal window
(DOS prompt for the Windows’ites) which _has_ to remain active or the app
dies. This despite the fact that it is documented as Mac specific.

Any other Mac users got any suggestions for me before I just give up and
go back to wrestling with customizing TN5250J?


Jon Paris

www.partner400.com
www.SystemiDeveloper.com

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