RE: /FREE RPG compiler errors

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Bob Cagle
>
> Wow Joe - that is an impressive resume!  I commend your efforts!

(Hee hee.  Reading it back, it sure does sound like I threw my shoulder out
patting myself on the back.  I apologize.)


> You are one of those programmers who have the desire to be something more.

Yup.  Just not necessarily a /free programmer.


> usually excluding ILE and RPGIV, much less /Free!

Here I can agree with you - ILE and RPG IV provide a drastically improved
development environment.  I cannot say the same about /free, which is for
the most part still little more than a syntactical change.


> Joe, you may not like /Free, but what would you do with it if you had to
> maintain a /Free program that someone else wrote?  Please don't tell me
> that you'd convert it back to fixed columns?!?!?

Probably the same thing I'd do if it were a COBOL program.  I'd either learn
the syntax or get someone to help me.  In fact, I had to add COBOL support
to PSC/400, and that was no small amount of learning.  And I may have to do
the same thing for /free.

Thanks for your input.  I agree that it's always in your best interests to
learn new technologies.  However, we can realistically only learn so much,
and while the ILE conversion definitely makes a sense based on return on
brain-cell investment, for me the jury is still out on /free.

One man's opinion, that's all.

Joe