Re: RPG IV

Buck ...

Great comments!  I have a very similar background to yours (although have
returned to college after a 25 year "break" to finally finish what I
started!), and I have learned everything the hard way.  I agree that many of
the correspondants on this list sound like they are very strong technically,
and are sometimes a little overwhelming to me, even with 14 years of
programming experience.   I switched to RPGIV two years ago, and have since
taught RPGIV to 6 others in my shop.  While it was not easy (my first RPGIV
program was written with multiple books laying open on my desk and me
uttering a few choice words periodically!), everyone in my shop agrees that
RPGIV is great!  No one wants to go back and do maintenance on RPGIII
programs anymore ... they're no fun!  When everyone's really comfortable
with RPGIV, we'll begin introducing the ILE concepts ... this approach made
the switch much less threatening to everyone.

(By the way, based on the many postings I've read from you, I certainly rank
you with the technical experts ... don't sell yourself short there!)

Lisa Abney


> For those reading this who are waffling about using RPG IV, who think that
> it's too hard to "learn a new language", who find the new terminology
weird
> and disconcerting, I have one very convincing argument:  I write in RPG IV
> and love it.  I started in 1978 in RPG II on the System/3.  I am fluent in
> matching record, stacker select, sort specs and 80-80 lists. I learnt to
> program by reading the S/3 RPG II reference manuals and looking at
compiler
> listings in the filing cabinet.  I am a high school graduate (dropped out
of
> college before my first semester finished.)  I am a musician by
temperament
> (classically trained viola.)  I had a miserable score on my math SAT and a
> great one on my English.  I have absolutely no formal computer training
> whatsoever.  By all respectable measurements, I should probably not be a
> programmer at all.  If *I* can do it, literally anyone can.  Anyone.  Try
> it.  You'll like it!
>
> Buck Calabro
>

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