Re: RPGIII vs. RPG400

["Simon Coulter" <shc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Paul,

You are correct, I am correct, but although Bob's answer was more detailed than 
mine and in 
most respects is correct, on this point <FLAME SUIT ON> he is wrong.

>No such thing as RPG/400 or RPG400.
RPG/400 exists.  RPG400 does not.  As you pointed out Paul, the LPP, user 
guide, and reference 
use the term.  There are sufficient differences between RPG III and RPG/400 
(i.e., the AS/400 
dialect of RPG III) to warrant it using a unique name.

>No such thing as ILE RPG or "ILE" as programming languages.
ILE RPG, as I said, is the incorrect term, however ILE RPG/400 exists but 
should more 
correctly be called RPG IV.  ILE RPG/400 exists because it is quite possible to 
create RPG 
programs that use no RPG IV syntax other than the D-spec yet do make 
appropriate use of ILE. 
(Although if one wished to be truly pedantic, that argument could be used to 
make a case for 
nothing but RPG II existing.  I can, if I try really hard, write an RPG II 
program -- 
left-hand indicators, resulting indicators, CABxx, GOTO, logic cycle, etc -- 
and run it 
through the CRTRPGPGM command.  Is it RPG III? RPG/400? No!)

>ILE is the AS/400 runtime environment.
Correct.

The difference is in whether one is discussing the language syntax (or formal 
definition) or 
the environment in which that language is supported.  Witness the names used by 
PDM for the 
source type -- RPG and RPGLE.  The same convention is used to distinguish 
between EPM C and 
ILE C (C and CLE respectively, not forgetting System/C which existed for a 
time).

Regards,
Simon Coulter.

«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»
«» FlyByNight Software         AS/400 Technical Specialists       «»
«» Eclipse the competition - run your business on an IBM AS/400.  «»
«»                                                                «»
«» Phone: +61 3 9419 0175      Mobile: +61 0411 091 400           «»
«» Fax:   +61 3 9419 0175      mailto: shc@flybynight.com.au      «»
«»                                                                «»
«» Windoze should not be open at Warp speed.                      «»
«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»
//--- forwarded letter -------------------------------------------------------
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.51 [en] (Win95; I)
> Date: Mon, 02 Aug 99 00:57:42 +0100
> From: "Paul Tuohy" <tuohyp@ibm.net>
> To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
> Reply-To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: RPGIII vs. RPG400

> 
> Sob,
> 
> Perhaps you can clarify for me.
> 
> There are two licenced products (or two components of the same licenced 
>product)
> - RPG/400 and ILE RPG/400. (Sorry, not at a machine at the moment, so can't 
>quote
> exact descriptions or feature codes).
> 
> I took it that RPG/400 was the RPG III compiler(s) and ILE RPG/400 was the 
>RPG IV
> compiler.
> 
> I agree with your comments on the names. People (especially IT managers) are
> under the impression that there are more versions of RPG then there are 
>varieties
> of baked beans.
> 
> Paul Tuohy
> 
> Bob Cozzi wrote:
> 
> > Simon is mostly correct, but I have to say I usually have to inform even
> > IBMers of the correct names of RPG.
> >
> > RPGII - used on pre-System/38 and AS/400 systems. Ported to AS/400 for S/36
> > environment.
> >
> > RPGIII introduced on the System38 and continued onto the AS/400. Supported
> > by AS/400 in two forms, System/38 compatibility mode which restricted new
> > AS/400-only operation codes from compiling in a System/38 targeted
> > environment. The compiler package (product) was called the IBM AS/400
> > RPG/400 Compiler. It supported both versions of the RPG III language. The
> > problem here is most people refer to AS/400 RPG III as "RPG400" there may be
> > signs that there is such as language, but there is not.
> >
> > Then there is RPG IV. The IBM internal name for the RPG IV compiler (before
> > they named RPG IV) was the "ILE RPG" compiler. They called the compiler "ILE
> > RPG". Unfortunately that name slipped out
nto the trade press. There is no
> > such thing as "ILE RPG". There is only RPGII, RPGIII and now, RPGIV.
> >
> > No such thing as RPG/400 or RPG400.
> > No such thing as ILE RPG or "ILE" as programming languages.
> >
> > ILE is the AS/400 runtime environment.
> >
> > There is also a product called VisualAge RPG. That version of RPG is RPG IV
> > with extensions.
> >
> > It is interesting to me (read disappointing) that so many IT Managers think
> > "RPG400" is different from RPGIII and "ILE RPG" is something different from
> > RPG IV. I'm mostly disappointed that IBM let this internal name get out and
> > be used. In fact some of the IBM manual writers use the incorrect name,
> > which writers for the trade press have used as vindication for their
> > inaccuracy. But that was years ago.
> >
> > Hope this helps whomever was asking the original question.
> >
> > Bob Cozzi
> >
> > http://www.RPGIV.com
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com [mailto:owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com]On
> > > Behalf Of Simon Coulter
> > > Sent: Sunday, August 01, 1999 1:20 AM
> > > To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
> > > Subject: Re: RPGIII vs. RPG400
> > >
> > > Hello Jon,
> > >
> > > Specifically RPG III is the dialect for the System/38 and first
> > > two releases of the AS/400.
> > > RPG/400 is a superset of RPG III and arrived with VRM130 of
> > > OS/400. They can be thought of as
> > > the same language but RPG/400 has additional operation codes for
> > > dealing with strings (SUBST,
> > > CAT, CHECK, etc) and support for MOVE with pad, READ with no lock, etc.
> > >
> > > Don't confuse RPG/400 with RPG IV which is a major improvement
> > > and dialectic difference.  RPG
> > > IV is often (incorrectly) called ILE RPG.  RPG IV has support for
> > > procedures, prototypes, local
> > > variables, pointers, built-in functions (%SUBST, %TRIM, %EDIT,
> > > etc), the EVAL operation code,
> > > free-format expressions, and other good stuff.  This is the RPG
> > > of the future.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Simon Coulter.

+---
| This is the RPG/400 Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to RPG400-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to RPG400-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to RPG400-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---END