Re: Is RPG 'DEAD"

But I can get service programs, RPG Xtools from Bob Cozzi, CGIDEV2, and
others. These expand the options of what I can do in an RPG program just
like a class library does for other languages. If I remember class
libraries right. IBM has a list of built in functions, They aren't called
class libraries, but I use them just like a class library. I can also
access the 'C' classes, and use them in my RPG program. RPG does not use
classes, so why would a class library exist for it? I haven't done any
programming to use it, but I understand an RPG program can call a Java
class.
I get it that you think C# and Java are better languages and not everyone
will agree with one way or the other, but language features in one
language may not be needed in other languages, or may be similar but named
something different. If RPG was an OO language and not a procedural one, I
think a lot of what you are looking for would exist, or would be named the
same.



"Steve Richter" <stephenrichter@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
06/18/2008 02:25 PM
Please respond to
RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>


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Subject
Re: Is RPG 'DEAD"






On Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 2:19 PM, Lim Hock-Chai
<Lim.Hock-Chai@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

uuumm. RPG send a escape message, which provide immidiate attention to

the user that the program is not function properly. If user took option
c, all open files and locks are automatically closed and released. If a
programmer is contacted, programmer can start a sevice job and jump into
the program thru debugger to look at value of all variables or takes
option D to dump the program. How do you do that in java?

I'm not understanding the example you given. If a file is open/lock by

another job, there is no way for a java or RPG program to close it.

Steve, you cannot simply pick a few features that java has and say that

RPG is inferior to java. If it is that easy, I can do the same and say
the java is inferior to RPG because:

1) java does not support F spec. In RPG, you easily read/update/write

record to a file by simply add a F spec.

2) You cannot use a simple statement like this in java to assign the

value of a int variable to a decimal variable: myDecimalVariable =
myIntVariable.

3) You cannot use a simple statement like this in java to concate 5

different char strings variable myNewString =
string1+string2+string3+string4+string5.

4) RPG allows function parameter to pass by value/const/reference.
5) By adding Bnddir('QC2LE') in the H spec, RPG can easily call function

in c standard lib.

Lim,

a feature by feature discussion is interesting to me, but the bottom
line from my POV is that C# and Java have class libraries and RPG does
not. The reason is because those two languages have the features
needed to write and use a robust set of reuseable classes. RPG is a
good language. Applications written in RPG dont sink under their own
weight like they do in COBOL.

On the other hand, a case can be made that delegates, virtual methods
and now monads make apps written in C# too complicated to read.
http://blogs.msdn.com/wesdyer/archive/2008/01/11/the-marvels-of-monads.aspx


-Steve