RE: free-format move *USA date value to 6-digit numeric in YMDformat

Uh, I have to disagree.
>>Reduction in support costs. Not having to support several releases.

This is EXACTLY what they are doing today and would be able to avoid using
my suggestion. They support (and complain about) the *PRV support in the
compilers. Some might think there's a flag in the compiler to support *PRV,
but actually they ship and support with PTFs the actually V5R1, V5R2, and
V5R3 compilers as separate programs. Combining them would allow them to
support 1 compiler product.

> Customer can then take advantage of new software 
>>and hardware thus keeping them on the platform.

Again, this is my point exactly. Today with too many compiler releases,
people are confused about what they can and cannot do on _their_ release.
Back in the old days, the small IT staff dictated when/where they would
upgrade the OS. Today that just isn't true. The ability to use %dec to
convert a date to numeric (or similar subtle enhancements) will NEVER cause
a company to upgrade the OS. There are still a few very small AS/400/iSeries
shops where the sole IT staffer's desire for %dec enhancement outweighs any
reasonable justification for putting the company through an upgrade to the
OS. So in those shops, they will always be on the latest--or the oldest
releases.
But other than that, upgrading is a more measured approach. "What do we get
out of OS/400 V5R3 that justifies taking the system down for the day, or the
weekend?" if the answer is, %dec with date support--most companies will
wait.

If IBM where business smart instead of greedy, they would sell the compiler
releases as upgrades for an upgrade fee and support the base release of the
OS version. Why? Because that way they have the greatest number of
prospects. Today, it takes years and years to get a majority of the iSeries
shops to upgrade to the new OS release. But a compiler upgrade that will
compile and run on my current release? That's a no-brainer.


-Bob Cozzi
www.RPGxTools.com
RPG xTools - Enjoy programming again.


-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of rob@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 7:03 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: free-format move *USA date value to 6-digit numeric in
YMDformat

Good for IBM:
1-Reduction of support costs.  Not having to support several releases.
2-Customer can then take advantage of new software and hardware thus 
keeping them on the platform and not saying the AS/400 can't do that 
(well, maybe it could if it wasn't a B10 running V1R2).

Good for the platform:
See item 2 above.

Good for the customer:
See item 2 above
3-Current releases expand the ways they can solve business issues.

Rob Berendt