Re: Convert from free to fixed

... thats the vulnerability of RPG and as/400 and one of the main reasons why they are loosing the competition with windows as server system. You'll find many questions how to run OS/400 V4R4 with Windows 7 in a Forum or Mailinglist, but I didn't see any question about problems with running OS/400 V7R1 with Windows 3.11. Quite a lot of my custumors are running 30 years old RPG applications, maintained in the original style (sometimes you see the migration from /36 to as400 in the code style!), and in the same room with the as/400, you could see Wintel server farms with the latest releases and newest software and the management is working on decisions to throw out the outdated as400 applications, they didn't invest anything in, during the last 20 years and to migrate to SAP, maybe running 2 years on AS/400, followed by p and followed by non IBM.

D*B

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From: "Mark S. Waterbury" <mark.s.waterbury@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 8:03 PM
To: "RPG programming on the IBM i / System i" <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Convert from free to fixed

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly some folks on this list will
take a thread and degenerate it into the age-old debate about coding
styles, and "modern techniques", such as "fixed. vs. free" etc.

Programming style is like taste in fashion or food; no two individuals
are exactly the same in their preferences. (Ever heard of, "To each, his
own"?)

I think that it is quite a remarkable feat that IBM was able to cleverly
evolve the RPG language from RPGIII to RPG IV, slowly enough to bring
most people along, without losing too many people along the way, while
at the same time allowing the "old timers" to continue to code in ways
familiar to them, while allowing the "newbies" to use the newfangled
free-form style of RPG IV, all without totally breaking our
applications. Gradually, as more of the "old timers" retire, and newer
generations of developers take over, the newer styles of coding (free
form, etc.) will eventually prevail.


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