Re: Please vote for Syntax check in /FREE!

["Buck" <buck.calabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> You think procedure overloading is anywhere even
> CLOSE to a necessity in **business application**
> design??

Here is one business function where I would find overloading useful.
Imagine a function called getName.  I want to get my Vendor name, Customer
name, Employee name, G/L account name, Company name, Division name, etc.
Each of those files has a different key; some character, some numeric.
Different sizes too.  It'd be nice to have such a feature where I could just
eval name=getName(whatEverKey) as opposed to the current requirement that I
create a uniquely named procedure for each file.  I don't think of this as
particularly object oriented, but it's useful for exchanging data with other
companies,in old EDI format as well as XML.

I don't think IBM is pushing us to Java and web-technologies; I think
they're behind the curve there as ever.  I think the marketplace is pulling
us into web technologies.  Our trading partners, business rules and
legislation set the standards for us, not IBM.  As long as our trading
partners allow us to use tried and true methodologies, we will continue to
do so.  When legislation forces us to send E911 data to a trading partner
which only accepts XML, well, that's when we start using XML.  Not because
IBM thinks it's a good idea.  Not because I think it's cool (which I don't.)

Anything that helps us roll out reliable code faster will make us more
competitive, regardless of the jargon.
  --buck