Re: What bugs you about KLISTs in RPG IV?

[Jon.Paris@xxxxxxxxxx]

 >> I cannot think of, and have never heard, a single cogent argument against
free form.

There is no cogent argument against it, but that's not the point. Was there a
convincing argument _for_ it.

 >> It is utterly baffling.

Not really - it was very clear from talking to a large number of users that a
very large percentage would not use a completely free-form version of the
language. However, they would use a hybrid version that incorporated free-form
"where it made sense". If we'd been delivering the product 10 years earlier when
there was a whole fleet of IBM SEs available to help spread the word so that
customers would give it a try it would have been worth the risk. As it was the
field force was being eliminated and vehicles such as this list had not begun to
emerge to take their place. My belief then, and I've seen no reason to change
it, was that our best bet was to produce something that made the fixed-formers
happy - let them use it for a bit and then they would convince themselves of the
benefits of free-form and ask for it.

They are asking for it <grin>

IBM does not have (even now) a viable structure for getting the news out about
products and enhancements. Talk to other local users, find out how many don't
even know they have a database on the system!! Ask at a User Group meeting and
see how many have _never_ heard of Code/400 (hell it's only been on the market
about 7 years!)

Now tell me how they were ever going to persuade the majority of RPGers to use a
radically new product ?

Anyway - I'm out of this discussion - what happened happened - and I've wasted
enough of my life fighting this battle over and over.

Yeah - yeah - I know I should have resisted the temptation to bite when the
first shot was fired.


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