Re: AW: End of the road for 7.1?

On Fri, Apr 8, 2016 at 8:33 AM, Rob Berendt <rob@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<snip>
But, I've always stated our software works on the latest OS level.
</snip>

There's a difference between 'stated' and tested.

Agreed. We always test on our machine or a virtual loaner if we don't have
the new OS yet. We don't "state" it unless we've "tested" it.

The only problem we have run into was an API change for the spooled file
number from 4 to 6 quite a few years ago.

Any time we've run into issues with the OS that aren't consistent we
program around it (ie, MAILTOOL Plus to allow SSL/TLS and authentication
for sent emails). We may do this for SSL soon. :)

Your list seems like a lot of worst case scenarios. I hope there aren't
too many ISVs using those "tricks".

Brad
www.bvstools.com

There are lots of cases where things have broke because of a release
upgrade.
- API phobics who do CPYSPLF of printed outputs instead only to find out
IBM changed the format of the printed (included in the release of every
Memo To Users!).
- People who code APIs wrong and hardcode offsets instead of using the
values in the header of the API.
- Vendors who hard code a prerequisite check for 5761JV1 would no longer
work on 7.2 (IBM did this with earlier versions of Domino).
- Vendors who insist on a certain level of Java, but allow you to specify
a different Java yet still require the one version of Java still be there.
(Seen this).
- SQL behavior differences (does "select * into :MyExtDs" after you've
added a column to the table but not recompiled the program work this
release or not, for example).
- SQL new reserved words. (Why does select RID, ... from FRT now require
me to use select "RID", ... from FRT?
- New limit changes. Number of spool files per jobs requires more digits.

Now, if your RPG code is limited to something simple like (in pseudo
code!)

loop tag
x add 1 x
dsply x
x iflt 10
goto loop
endif
*inlr *on

And you do no APIs, CPYSPLF, chaining to files which now have columns with
new data types,
IOW, if your code is stagnant and featureless,
it is quite possible you can just keep upgrading OS with oblivion.




Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1
Group Dekko
Dept 1600
Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
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