Re: RPG/COBOL/C

COBOL and RPG are both fine languages designed for business computing. If
you have a base of programs in either language, it would be a _major_
effort to convert from one language to the other. Currently, RPG is the
most common language used to develop applications on the System i. If you
are beginning a project, you should be able to find more programmers with
RPG experience than COBOL experience on the System i. Traditionally, it
has been very difficult for experienced COBOL programmers to make a
transition from COBOL to RPG because of the use of the RPG cycle. Since
much of the current RPG programming is done outside of the cycle, I'm not
sure if that is still true.

C is language designed and used primarily for operating system development
and embedded programming. It can be used for business applications
programming.


Why are you considering recommending a change in languages? Are you
running into limitations of the language? Are you finding it difficult to
fine programmers? Are you considering new technology that COBOL won't work
with?

Remember, if you do switch languages, you will still have to support the
existing code base for some time, so you will be moving into a mixed
language environment.


Steven Morrison
Fidelity Express
903-885-1283 ext. 479