RE: RPG.NET

> From: Steve Richter
> 
> Is it fair to say the iSeries developer has to know RPG for iSeries
apps,
> Java for web apps and .NET for windows client apps?   That is too much
by
> at least one.  Something has to give.

No, I think that you have to focus on one discipline or the other.
Browser-based applications are Java/RPG, while thick client applications
may be .NET/RPG.  And if the ASNA product has any sort of normal
pricing, there's a real possibility for RPG programmers to move directly
into the .NET world, probably easier than they can move into the web
world.

And in my mind there are really THREE disciplines: thick client,
browser-based and server-side.  Unless you are a one-man shop, you
really should have people focused on the different areas, and the number
of people will depend on the amount of development in each place.

RPG programmers can be focused on developing business rules engines and
exposing them through stored procedures and web services.  .NET
developers can use those components in their thick client development,
while Java developers can use them in web applications.

As you point out, the truth is that there are fewer and fewer of us who
are going to be proficient in all development areas.  But then again,
even in the olden days, we had people who knew one part of the business
and people who knew another.  We had people who were really good at
writing reports, while others actually enjoyed creating screens
<shudder>.

I still think that we can have a tiered development environment that
takes advantage of the strengths of all of the platforms and frameworks.

Joe