Re: VARPG/HTML/misc. comments -- RPG400-L

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I like your thinking Reeve.  I travelled the same path that your mind is on
and finally decided to do something, not stand still.  I decided to learn
HTML and VARPG and skip the whole Java blip.  I chose HTML because it works,
and VARPG because whether I  like it or not Microsoft lands on it's feet
everytime and Windows is their product.  I felt I'd better be able to cope
with Microsoft solutions.

Yes the %bifs are available. Not Freeform.  And yes, they also have to keep
up with the moving target called Windows.  I do not envy them the task.

Your other concerns are real too.  VARPG is a tangential product at best.
There's not many shops using it and finding clients that will accept a VARPG
solution is a real bummer.  Thank goodness I chose HTML too or I'd be stuck
in the green-screen World.

It is interesting that you mention "the ability to vary the screen layout
dynamically would be nice".   You're are asking for is event-driven logic,
not cycle-driven logic.  That is the biggest learning curve with VARPG.


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Booth Martin   http://www.MartinVT.com
Booth@MartinVT.com
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-------Original Message-------

From: rpg400-l@midrange.com
Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 08:59:10
To: rpg400-l@midrange.com
Subject: VARPG/HTML/misc. comments

VARPG: are all the ILE RPG BIF's in available? How about free-form RPG?

I have similar problems with Java as the Next Great Technology, even
including the age issue. But it's unlikely many of us working on our own
will be signing off for the last time when we're 65, so maybe a 10-year
investment isn't so bad. If it catches on, it will spread like wildfire.
I'm not sure if I agree on HTML; it is flexible but that flexibility comes
at a price. Screen scraping? You're being charitable.

I'm using a seasick (green-screen) mouse to select subfile lines; this works
nicely with clicking on column headings for sorting. And the clicking on
the same column as the last click reverses the sort order. With a DDS
window for the details, you're there. Of course, the ability to vary the
screen layout dynamically would be nice (if I have a shipment moving
cross-border, I'd like to be able to dynamically insert a couple of lines
for Customs information entry; if I have a hazardous materials shipment, I'd
like the hazmat required information to appear in-line).

I'm reluctant to embrace a tangential product and commit my software
package's development effort to it; unfortunately, that makes RPG, Java, and
VB ("be afraid...be very afraid") the main choices. Internet access is a
requirement for my customers' customers, so HTML is still in the picture.
All my customers have remote offices and work-at-home employees; this is an
important consideration. When you consider the number of devices working as
browsers (PC's, PDA's, cell phones, etc.), a browser-based application seems
logical. And the future of the iSeries as we know it is uncertain; on the
other hand, the good thing about the VB approach is that there's so much of
it out there it can't be obsoleted overnight.

I'm not sure if "RPG on an alternate platform?" is the key issue. If you
share the MVC design philosophy, the design (approach) is primary and the
(so-called) HLL is secondary (and, in theory, easily replaceable). This
would also suggest merit in the data modeling (Synon) approach, which has
the capability of providing platform independence.

Okay...back to the real world: struggling with CODE and ILE RPG...

-reeve
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