Hi Bryce,
<snip>
So you want RPG
to go OO?
This is essentially what you'll get if you allow procedure overloading and namespaces.
</snip>
Really? So if we overload procedures in RPG and include namespaces then RPG is essentially now an OO language? Really..? If only it was that simple. :-)
The use of namespaces does not necessarily make a language an OO language, even if they are a feature of many OO languages. All OO languages also make use of variables. Does that make variables a feature of OO languages too? XML uses namespaces and we could successfully argue that XML isn't even a programming language, never mind an OO programming language. I do get your point though. :-)
Anybody interested can take a look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namespace and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namespace_(computer_science) for more info on namespaces.
<snip>
I'm just wondering how the RPG lifers feel about this. Without a
background in an OO language I would think many RPGers would be a bit lost
with Namespaces and Procedure overloading... just as most have bucked the
idea of Modules/Service Progams. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. I
very much support it, but I just hope everyone realizes that it'll be
another one of those 30% adoption situations again (or whatever the case
is for service programs).
</snip>
Frankly, I don't care what RPG lifers who don't use Modules/Service Programs feel about this. I particularly need namespaces in RPG to allow me to do my job more effectively. But remember, I am suggesting the use of a H-spec keyword that essentially qualifies the procedure names. This would be optional so the RPG lifers who don't use the new stuff aren't affected. If they do use namespaces, it is nothing more difficult to understand than qualified data structures.
Regarding the other posts about percentage use/relevance of these features: I agree that RPG programmers are their own worst enemy. I would also agrue that we as a community do not keep up to date with current trends. But this is not the case for all of us...
We have 25+ RPG developers in our shop. ALL of them use RPG IV in free format. ALL of them use service programs and modules. ALL of them use sub-procedures. ALL of them code in RDi 7.5 (we have SEU disabled). ALL of them are enrolled in a program of continual professional improvement. We allocate 2 weeks per developer per year exclusively to professional development. I am really proud of the way our guys are improving. Better yet, the more they learn the more they want to learn. We code to standards here - not to the lowest common denominator. This means our developers have to learn quickly to keep up with the pack. Sub-procedures are a BIG part of our standard so we invest the time and effort to keep ALL of our developers up to speed. As our developers improve we raise the bar and keep them improving. For example, I am spending this week providing in-house workshops on SQL DDL and SQL DML. We see SQL as a key skill and are investing the time to train our guys. This makes us as a group better placed to make good decisions when designing/developing.
We also test our developers and allow them the opportunity to study/train for the ILE RPG Certification Exam. One of my Graduate Trainees joined us in November 2007 straight from University with no RPG knowledge. He sat the Certification Exam in September 2009 (?) and passed well. He has been working in RPG for less than 2 years and is already an asset to the company. I am extremely proud of him, and as a prize we gave him an all-expenses trip to the RPG and DB2 summit in Minneapolis (thanks guys - he loved it!). We are based in Brisbane in Australia so it was a big trip for him. He got to stay over in LA, and that is a pretty cool prize for a 22 year old to get from his employer. :-)
Anyway...
We as a shop are committed to use the latest and greatest. I want IBM to continue to enhance RPG for us. Every developer in my shop is using the most recent offerings, and we will continue to use them as long as IBM provide them.
Cheers
Larry Ducie
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