Dennis,
I haven't read the myriad other replies you've already received, but they did
prompt me to read your initial question. So forgive me if I duplicate other's
remarks.
What do you mean by "use ILE"?
ILE stands for Integrate Language Environment and is not a programming language.
Everything you described is part of RPG IV's capabilities and part of the C
compiler and COBOL compilers.
Service Programs are about as close to an "ILE" component as they are not
strictly part of a programming language.
So I would say your question really is this:
Do we continue to use and code RPG IV just like we've done with RPGIII or do we
use the RPG IV language features that make it distinctive from RPGIII?
The short answer is, it depends. Certainly most programs can be written using
RPGIII-syntax in either RPGIII or RPG IV.
Using RPGIII syntax today gives me a headache. Using RPGIII syntax in RPGIII
nearly gives me a stroke. But that's just me.
I think there are several advantages using RPG IV features beyond using it as an
RPGIII container (which is what your shop is doing):
1) The skills you acquire using RPG IV syntax (including expressions,
subprocedures, local variables, and service programs) will allow your team to
write more sophisticated applications, and (hopefully) do so much more quickly
than with RPGIII syntax.
2) The day will come when your business' owners decide they want a GUI-like
interface. If your team does not have the skills (see item 1 above) then look
out--they'll most likely bring in a .Net liar who'll con them into believing
they can solve their problems better than an old-world green-screen legacy
AS/400 system.
3) Careers are more secure if you continue to evolve your skills. Certainly
there's no guarantees, however if all you had used and learn was S/370 COBOL,
where would your IT career be today?
The RPG language has evolved out of necessity. Other languages have come and
gone and have done so out of necessity and market needs.
RPGIII only exists today due to legacy--think of RPGIII syntax as code that's
just waiting for its turn to get converted to a more modern RPG.
If you're writing code in 2007 that looks like the code you and everyone else
wrote back in 1993 or earlier, then your skill set is already a decade old; and
that's the equivalent of centuries in computer time. <g>
-Bob Cozzi
www.i5PodCast.com
Ask your manager to watch i5 TV
-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [
mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of DennisRootes@xxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 4:09 PM
To: rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Help! Boss wants to know why ILE?
Please help me come up with some good examples as to what makes ILE better
than "business as usual". Here's what I've used so far:
1. It's faster - Rebuttal: doesn't matter we have plenty of cpu and our
machine screams as it is.
2. Service program equals reusability - Rebuttal: we can just use a
separate program for reusable code.
3. Local variables - Rebuttal: if they are inside a separate program it
doesn't matter.
4. System maintenance - Rebuttal: instead of service programs or
subprocedures we have separate pgms so it's the same thing.
It's not that the boss wants to stop us from using ILE, she just wants to
know what makes it so much better than plain 'ol RPG IV that she should
invest the man hours it's going to take to bring our whole dept up to
speed on ILE. And I just am not coming up with anything that's very
convincing.
So please, if you have any good arguments, let me know.
Thanks,
Dennis
midrange.com
