I really tried to write nothing this time … it didn’t work out ;-)
Am 24.05.2025 um 17:07 schrieb Patrik Schindler <poc@xxxxxxxxxx>:
Am 23.05.2025 um 18:20 schrieb Marco Facchinetti <marco.facchinetti@xxxxxxxxx>:
I can't believe you people are still talking about 5250.
It's still in actual use. Why not discuss it?
I think that’s absolutely fair. I get a lot of questions about DDS and green screen - so IMHO it’s absolutely OK to discuss technical questions.
Please, let it fade away.
Well - IBM tried that for at least 2 decades or more now - look how successful they were.
And I tell you why the 5250 TUI interface is still in use:
- IBM i developers are mostly not „fast and early adopters“ - many tend to stick to what works.
- many midrange companies do not have high flying IT budgets - often 1 or 2 guys are doing all the work, that it done by 20 and more people on other platforms - and I even know of companies, where exactly those 2 guys are also doing additional roles.
- many ISVs have abandoned their 5250/TUI applications and tried to force the companies to their GUI or web apps - but those investments are often out of reach - so those small IT teams keep the motor running
- it just works - display file - program - bam - works
- the "programming model“ of web applications is IMHO plain stupid - connectionless protocols for transactional UI processes are nonsense - always was and always will be. OK one-page-web-apps might be a thing - but the technical effort (esp. the usage of frameworks) is insane.
- there is no middle ground - no kind of „smooth“ transition - yes, you can buy tools for a lot of money - or you have to make the transition yourself - painful one way or another - and it breaks down to „budget“ again
If the answer are clunky web-UIs resulting from immense programming effort: No. Definitely not.
In defense of web UIs - not all of them are clunky - I know a lot of real good interfaces, that work - but those are developed by big teams with big budgets - not by small and medium sized companies. On the other side, I know a lot of good 5250/TUI applications that work and aren’t „clumsy“.
What I want to see fade away is the frequent reappearance of this very same discussion about if GUI or TUI is better. It's tiresome.
Yes - that would be great - but sadly „we“ always jump on that bandwagon in the very moment someone sends a mail about the matter.
There will never be an agreement because everybody has its own view on the topic. Partly factual, partly opinion based, partly kinda religious.
Jep - but don’t we all love a good „discussion“ … oh how I miss those „nice“ C vs. Pascal flame wars on the use-net … those were more (un-)civilized times back then ;-)
SIGNOFF
Daniel
midrange.com
