Re: Modernizing code (Was: Soft coding SQL based on parameter file)

On 6/4/2017 2:39 PM, DrFranken wrote:

This continues to bother me and finally it hit me why it does. We
frequently refer to 'someone else who might maintain it.' This IS
appropriate, really! Good standards, comments, structure etc are all
good for that guy! But FAR too many in the IBM i space assume that
person is old and grey. They assume that the only people who will see
the code only know 'C' in column 6 and left hand indicators.

I am the oldest, greyest person in my group. Matching record through
ILE sub-procedures with call-backs and pretty much everything in-between.

BUT WHAT IF THEY ARE WRONG!? What if the next guy is 21 and wouldn't
know a left hand indicator if it had an arrow pointing to it! When THESE
people see that OLD code they won't be able to maintain it! THESE people
are the future of your company's I.T. When THESE people see that code
they WILL dump IBM i because of what it has been left to be, not because
of what it could have been, or could (should?) be today.

As the eldest, I see it as my duty to teach the young. Just this
morning I described my lash-up of RDi, i Projects, eGit, Bugzilla, and
Mylyn. For RPG coding :-) How will the young learn ILE/modern if not
from those who have already walked that path?

Those insisting on the old standards need to realize the next guy is
increasingly more likely to be YOUNG and CAPABLE not Old and Decrepit!

One thing I think needs to be considered is that our individual,
personal experience deeply colours our approach. For example, there
isn't an ILE syllabus that will bring every midrange programmer to a
particular minimum level of proficiency, so we honestly can't expect
every midrange programmer to be at any particular level. We each are
where we are only because that's where our random, unpredictable career
has accidentally taken us.

That's important because without having had the personal experience, our
colleagues have a natural fear that they will Do Bad Things. Coding 20
years ago was one program at a time; today, you'd better be aware of all
the pieces-parts; modules, binder language, service programs,
sub-procedures - there are a lot more moving parts to get wrong.

So the push-back from the less experienced is normal and natural. What
needs to happen is that those who can teach those who can't yet. Once
the inexperienced get some code in production, growth of newer ideas can
take place in a more fertile field.

I know this is hard. But the people on this list are almost the only
ones who can help bring colleagues forward. Simply stating that 'the
old guys need to get modern' isn't cutting it. We (I include myself in
this) need to help the other old guys get there. And the young, too.

Failure to do so cements the demise of IBM i in their company.

Completely agree.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

www.Frankeni.com
www.iDevCloud.com - Personal Development IBM i timeshare service.
www.iInTheCloud.com - Commercial IBM i Cloud Hosting.