RE: What the heck is this AS/400 thing??

Willow,

I haven't read any of these books, and am familiar with only a few of the
authors.  Based on that, only, I'd recommend Guthrie and Madden.  The rest
are probably almost as good, although there is one author in the list whose
opinions I don't trust much.


I'd recommend reading any of these but, even more, I'd recommend hanging out
on these lists and slowly absorbing what you can of the fundamentals.  If
your career situation permits, I'd recommend hanging out on the platform for
a decade or two.  The fact that you're asking this question is the main
thing, because as soon as one thinks they understand a lot about the 400,
IMHO, they limit their ability to learn.

Just don't get discouraged by the age-old saying that the more you know..
the more you find out what you DON'T know.

That discourages me, at times, but it's just a fact that what you don't know
is probably gonna exceed what you do.. at all times, and *no matter* how
much you DO know.  Keep asking questions, listen to people who know
something you don't (and that's everybody), test contradictory ideas against
your experience...

I'm sure you'll do fine...:-)

You're already way ahead of most of us...!  At least you posted to the
correct list...  LOL...!


jt


| -----Original Message-----
| From: midrange-nontech-admin@midrange.com
| [mailto:midrange-nontech-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Foster, Willow
| Sent: Monday, December 10, 2001 10:56 AM
| To: 'midrange-nontech@midrange.com'
| Subject: What the heck is this AS/400 thing??
|
|
| Hi all,
|
| I'm new to the AS/400 and I'm finding myself completely lost most of the
| time. Usually, I can find my job (WRKSBMJOB) and such, but as far as
| _understanding_ these machines.... I'm completely clueless. For example,
| I've had friends ask me why someone would use an AS/400 over a PC. I can
| generally get away with muttering something about multiple users and batch
| jobs. But, really, I'm just echoing bits and pieces I hear and
| have no true
| idea of what I'm talking about. It's driving me nuts!! I hate feeling this
| lost! I know how to use our software, but I feel like I'm on a PC and the
| only thing I know how to do is use Word. I know there's so more
| out there. I
| just can't figure out how to do it.
|
| So, I thought I could get a book that would explain all this to me. I've
| searched Amazon and found a couple that look interesting but I'd love to
| hear what ya'll recommend.
|
| Using the AS/400: An introduction
| by Patrice Gapen and Catherine Stoughton
|
| Mastering the AS/400: A Practical Hands on Guide, 3rd Edition
| by Jerry Fottral
|
| AS/400 Primer: Fundamental Concepts and Training for Programmers,
| Administrators, and System Operators
| by Ernie Malaga, Doug Pence, Ron Hawkins, and Ernie Malagan
|
| Starter Kit for the IBM iSeries and AS/400
| by Gary Guthrie and Wayne Madden
|
| Introduction to the AS/400, 3rd Edition
| by Robert W. Janson
|
| Any thoughts?
|
| Thanks,
| Willow