Re: why keep old code

Just my 2 cents on the subject....

the business expense to re-write stuff just to bring it up to a modern 

method of doing something

that already works, just isn't justifiable. 

That's very true.  If it isn't broken then there is no reason to "fix" it 
unless you foresee an upgrade in the future.  We have too many fires to 
put out most days to be proactive over millions/billions of lines of code. 
 Although if you have the time it's definitely best to convert it to IV. 

The fact that we use or do not use /free RPG has ZERO impact on the 

success of the platform and our jobs. 

I do believe that the adoption or lack thereof of /free does affect both 
our jobs and our chosen platform.  The AS/400 has always been looked at as 
a dinosaur, and if /free can change that perception then we need to 
embrace it as much as possible. Also, except for some minor issues, coding 
in /free is easier, (to me at least), due to it's resemblance to a modern 
language, (and I started with RPG III).  Plus the fact that it's more 
powerful and robust means switching to it for new development should be a 
no-brainer.  Personally though, I hate to see /free code mixed in with RPG 
II or III code, I never use it for maintenance as it disrupts the program 
flow too much for my tastes. 

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. 

<rant>
Again, just my opinion, but I believe that the lack of new programmers is 
entirely IBM's fault.  They can't/won't keep brand recognition on the 400, 
they push everything but RPG, and if they are even bothering to try to 
sell new installations I'm certainly not seeing it.  Every day the number 
of AS/400, ISeries, System 5, whatever-the-hell-they-are-called-today 
shops dwindles, and no matter how much we push the envelope learning new 
skills and making our respective employers happy, no new installations and 
lackluster branding/advertising means no new programmers.  Why would 
anyone become an RPG programmer when they've never heard of it and/or they 
consider it to be outdated, (which IBM doesn't actually come out and SAY 
but they certainly do imply it).
</rant>

Whew!  Well thanks for listening I suppose I'd better get back to the 
"making my employer happy" now part of this day.  =)