RE: open source rpg compiler -- RPG400-L

<Scott>
Okay, so there are a few of us who might be willing to learn the language
and play with it.   Now what?   What are we going to add, that we couldn't
already add by writing service programs?   Maybe a MOVE op-code to the
free-form syntax, but what else?
</Scott>

Sorry to be the voice of Java all the time, but just take one look at it's
rich class collection.  Now this may not equate to being able to "write
compiler functionality", but they made the concepts of the language so open
that you can create many rich and useful classes that tightly integrate with
Sun provided classes.  I don't feel that RPG has the same capabilities with
ILE and service programs.

Take your software for instance, Scott.  I would love to have your service
programs natively included with the RPG compiler because they are a basic
need for any business language (HTTP, FTP, Sockets, IFS, etc).

I don't know if open source RPG would ever take off (because of the reasons
others have listed), but the compiler could definitely be
re-written/modified to allow for many other necessary features.

Just my thoughts,
Aaron Bartell

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Klement [mailto:klemscot@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 4:54 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: open source rpg compiler


>
> What I am suggesting is that IBM release the source code of the RPG
> compiler.  Also, do whatever has to be done to make sure that any
derivative
> compiler would require the underlying websphere.  This assures that IBM
does
> not lose any revenue from the sale of an RPG offshoot compiler.
>

Maybe I'm daft, but I seem to be missing what the benefit of open-sourcing
the RPG compiler would be?

Do you honestly believe that iSeries people are going to learn the
proprietary language that the RPG compiler is written in, in order to add
their own enhancements?    These same people who are unwilling to upgrade
to RPG IV despite OBVIOUS benefits?

Okay, so there are a few of us who might be willing to learn the language
and play with it.   Now what?   What are we going to add, that we couldn't
already add by writing service programs?   Maybe a MOVE op-code to the
free-form syntax, but what else?

I could see where it would be beneficial if the compiler had been written
in a language that could be used elsewhere..   like maybe we could create
a compiler for FreeBSD or Linux or even Windows...   But, isn't it written
in a proprietary IBM language, like MI?   if so, porting it wouldn't be
much easier than writing one from scratch.

So, I fail to see the benefit.

I think what would happen is that very few people would actually be
interested in maintaining it.   Now that it's open-sourced, IBM might not
feel like spending as much money on enhancing it themselves...  now the
language gets stale.   Finally, due to lack of involvement, they scrap the
project completely, and RPG dies out.

Sigh.
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