Re: RPG IV release levels and complexity

[rob@xxxxxxxxx]

Bob,

I think that it is more of a problem of people redefining 'broke' so that 
it doesn't include doesn't have any of the new features of the latest 
operating system.  Redefining it this way allows them to smugly say "why 
should I upgrade when what I run isn't broke" as the swamp slowly rises 
above their heads.  V5R1 has reached it's end of support (unless you have 
certain contracts or agreements, even with those it expires in less than 6 
months).  Isn't it time they just upgrade.

I do NOT want them slowing down features in the compiler to dumb it down 
to older versions of the operating system.  Just as much as I do not want 
software vendors dumbing down their RPG so that it will compile on V2R1.

If it in anyway, shape, or form, slows down enhancements to the compiler 
to allow one version of the compiler to support multiple versions of the 
operating system then I oppose that.

The frustration of waiting on a new enhancement outweighs the frustration 
of not being able to run that enhancement on an older version of the 
operating system.

The people with the older version of the operating system already have a 
solution - UPGRADE!

How much market share would a vendor who made software for W2K or XP lose 
if they only marketed solutions that ran on Win3.1 also?  Lots.  Why do 
iSeries people insist on such a solution?

Rob Berendt
-- 
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary 
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." 
Benjamin Franklin 




"Bob cozzi" <cozzi@xxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
11/17/2003 02:39 PM
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RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>


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Subject
RPG IV release levels and complexity






Is it me or is it just too difficult to track all the different subtle
enhancements to the RPG IV compiler on every new release.

Iâm consulting at a shop that is on V5R1 and another that is on V5R2.  Yet
most people are still on V4Rx.

In reading articles and going to training Iâm finding all of the 
developers
essentially abandoning RPG IV enhancements because they can never relay on
their release being the one on which the feature is offered. 

Three contemporary examples (but things like this happen literally every 
day
as we move this shop to RPG IV):

Someone is all hot to use the new UPDATE %FIELDS() capability to replace 
and
EXCEPT opcode with Output specsâ They spent  day trying to get that to
work. Oops, sorry, that feature is in V5.2 not V5.1 :-(

Another one was trying to use qualified data structures. Theyâre at V5.1 
so
thatâs greatâ but then when trying to take advantage of the Data 
Structures
as Arraysâ the get compiler errorsâ Oops sorry, thatâs a V5.2 feature, not
V5.1.

Another one happened when on a V4R5 machine they tried to use qualified 
data
structures. Once againâ Oops, that a V5.1 feature. 

 

There are but a very few of the daily occurrences going on in the shops
where Iâm consulting. 

Granted many people on this list donât have these problems because they 
try
to stay in touch with the latest and greatest, butâ

 

Is this a widespread issue or is it just me? I mean a few months ago I
advocated that IBM either stop enhancing RPG IV on every release and only 
do
it once per Version. That way at least if youâre on V5, you have the 
latest
and greatest compiler features, or you can upgrade to it. As far back as 
the
year 2000 I met with the RPG compiler manager from IBM Toronto and 
suggested
the separate the compiler from the version and just ship Version X of RPG 
IV
which will run on OS/400 Version Y release Z and later.  For example, the
ship version 2.0 of the RPG IV compiler and it runs on OS/400 Version 5.1
and later. So it would work on 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3. This would give everyone 
on
V5.x (any release) the same set of features.  To me this is the only
solution to this dilemma. 

>From where I see things, a major inhibitor to getting shops to move to 
RPG
IV is when they set out a few recon programmers to find out if its 
feasible,
you want that frustration level as low as possible. The way the compiler 
is
today, that is just not possible.

And forget that argument about why it canât be done, who cares why it 
canât
be done. I want to know if it is I a problem for us developers or if this 
is
an isolated situation. 

 

Thanks!

 

Bob Cozzi

 

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