RE: IFS in RPG

Hi,

On Fri, 12 Jul 2002, Joel Fritz wrote:
>
> One thing about the Unix Type File APIs is that they're identical (at the
> interface level) to the standard C library functions for low level file I/O.
>

I just wanted to highlight this statement from Joel Fritz because I think
it's very important.   The existing UNIX-type APIs for stream files are
IDENTICAL (at the interface level) with the POSIX standard for stream file
I/O.

This is used on DOZENS of platforms.   It's available on Windows, and
every variety of UNIX or UNIX-like operating systems, as well as OS/400
and many more...

This means that there's a lot of people who already know how to use it,
and that it's been time-tested for decades in many, many environments.

What RPG needs /copy members that define the prototypes, constants and
structures for us.   ILE C/400 already has this, why the heck doesn't RPG?!
RPG is the most popular language for OS/400, why are the header members and
documentation written *only* for C programmers?!

THATs the way to make it standardized and consistent.  Have OS/400 or WDTS
come with these /copy members!  If they work just like the C headers do,
they will be as standardized as possible...    far more than any RPG
specific feature could be.

But, when I've suggested this to IBM, all I've heard has been "Create your
own!  Distribute them!  Sell them, or open-source them!"   Great.  Sure.
But having competing vendors, or multiple sources for the header files
ISNT THE WAY TO STANDARIZE THEM.   They need to be there in every shop,
and therefore they need to be distributed by IBM just as the ILE C
versions are.

And, OF COURSE, we don't just need the /copy members, but we need manuals
that support RPG as well as C.

These same arguments can be made about sockets.  And LDAP.  And all of the
other UNIX-type APIs.

The result would be every bit as easy to use as the BIFs, more
standardized, and more consistent with the existing support IBM provides
to C programmers.   It also would be relatively easy to implement.