RE: those darn newfangled languages WAS: RPG III

One of Susan's arguments for using /free was that it looks more like

"modern" languages like Java and C, which the few kids coming out of college
IT courses are used to.

Since Susan doesn't hang out on this list I'll just add one comment on her
behalf.  This was not a pie-in-the-sky statement and sure as hell isn't the
IBM line since they don't recommend converting at all!

This is based on customers who have contacted us to tell us how much easier
it became to recruit new programmers once they switched to /Free.  One of
the biggest problems in the System i market place right now is the
availability of entry-level programmers.  In the last 12 months I have had a
significant number of managers tell me that they are considering a move away
from the system because they can't find affordable programmers.  (But let's
not start another discussion on that - it has been done to death on Midrange
Jobs recently!)

Most people aren't looking for just RPG skills any more.  They want some
HTML, XML, maybe Java, etc.  A young programmer who was trained in PHP,
Python, C#, Java, C++ or whatever can easily pick up RPG.  But show them
fixed-form and they'll run for the hills.  Show them /Free and they tend to
say "hey I can learn that".

Again this is not a "belief" it was something that came to us from customers
and we have been passing it along to others who face recruitment problems.
 
Jon Paris
Partner400

www.Partner400.com