Re: What to teach someone new to IBMi

I'm not much of a "support" person myself, so I don't have any advice
specific to teaching for that role.

But I do have personal experience being a Unix and Windows person for
many years before encountering the IBM midrange for the first time, so
I'd like to speak to that.

My biggest recommendation is to not be disparaging of the other
platforms. It's fine to be obvious that you love the i, but don't be
forceful or preachy about it. Avoid implying that the i is superior,
especially if you are not as knowledgeable about their platform(s) as
they are, because there's a chance that it will actually be
off-putting and thus have the opposite of the intended effect. People
have to come to like something on their own, not be told to like it.
If the i is as awesome as its fans believe it to be, it should sell
itself.

It's basically analogous to welcoming a foreigner to your native
country. I have personal experience with this too, as a foreigner
coming to the U.S. Don't assume people will be favorably impressed if
you say "our country does this better than your country". It's likely
to go better if you say "this is how we do things here, and it's
working well for us".

If you do know about the other platforms (countries), I suggest
emphasizing the similarities where possible, as it serves as a common
language and helps the newcomer acclimate more smoothly.

John Y.