Re: External RE: Fun Stuff

I'll 2nd Jerry's stmt about training. It's the labs where you get to try
stuff out (with instructor help), the day long experts courses, learning
the fundamentals of communications, how to analyze performance, etc that
gave me the confidence to promote to my customers, and then do new things.
Most of the Common and other conferences were self funded. If the cool
stuff is going on in external win/nix servers, then communication projects
can be very profitable for the customer. Web interfaces with rpg business
logic for inhouse green screen enhance/replace. 75% or more of my contract
work came from my ideas, not the business.

On Tue, Jan 21, 2025 at 9:58 AM (WalzCraft) Jerry Forss <
JForss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

For me, going to conferences has been huge.

Going to sessions that do not pertain to anything I am working on lodges
something in the back of my brain for future reference.
You have to know something exists to maybe use it in the future.

Being on the consulting side is difficult. Training may be on your dime
BUT well worth it!!!

Letting you customers know that "Yes, that can be done on the IBMi" will
build the platform.
That will bring more opportunity for you.

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Subject: External RE: Fun Stuff

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I'm going to follow that thought up with a serious question.

I am a consultant and most of us understands that means there is very
little training budget and we are at the mercy of our clients and their
projects.
The companies that I work for don't really want "new" stuff or if they do,
it is not usually done on their IBM i.

I am not the kind of developer that can learn by reading because of a
slight comprehension disability (now days they probably call it ADD because
my mind wanders while reading). If I have an example, then can mess with
it and learn how to make it do what I want it to do...assuming I want it to
do something. I have always been new (to me) technology driven. I've
taught myself several other languages (I even tried playing with MI but got
nowhere useful). However, I'm also almost 65 and contemplating retirement
so that makes the drive to learn a little less driving.

So here is the question. How does one learn stuff (given the above
statements) when there are no projects to work on that will use the new
technology? I have looked for small projects to dive into but it is
difficult to spend hours on something that you know nobody will ever use.
Yes, I am somewhat learning a new technology but it also seems like I'm
wasting my time on throw away code.

Any thoughts?

-----Original Message-----
From: MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of
(WalzCraft) Jerry Forss
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2025 7:36 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Fun Stuff

This is not a question. Just an observation.

I have been doing development for MANY years and sometimes the days can
just be a grind. SSDD. (Same S...tuff Different Day)

Every once in a while you get to work on something new and challenging.

Over the past few years my new thing has been Web Services. Fun Stuff!

I have gotten to the point of being able to write a COMPLETE shipping
package from scratch using Web Services to our carriers, getting rates and
Printing their labels, saving us significant $$$.

Now the NEW thing.
Creating an IWS on the IBMi. This is really fun stuff!!!
I have so much to learn but things fall into place quickly.

We are highly integrated between the IBMi and the network.
In the past the network devo would access data directly. VERY SLOW!!

Then I wrote Stored Procedures that they call and I return what they need.
Much Faster.

Now I created an IWS because of a new project where Stored Procedure are
not the best option.
With Scott's doc on Providing RPG Web Services and some help from Marco
Facchinetti, the setup is a breeze.

The mind just explodes with opportunities!!!

My point is, when development just seems to plod along, and days turn to
SSDD, do some reading about something you heard about.
And maybe your days can be filled the excitement of learning we felt at
the beginning of our careers.




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