Re: where can I download a RPG/400 guide?

You know, you can discuss the “benefits” as if that person’s individual use-case applies to each and every other shop, but in the end it’s moot. Our company, as well as countless others, have commitments RPG/400. It works, many programs are decades old and continues to work perfectly with zero modifications. Converting it to RPGIV or ILERPG - for those objects - and the resources/manpower for little to no benefit makes no sense… in our use case.

Don’t get me wrong… I love coding in ILERPG. Many of our more modern apps are coded in ILERPG, and in /free format to boot. But the 95% core system is RPG/400. As an individual, I’d love for our system to be all up and current on everything, but we also have a business to run and our higher-ups will not be keen to be convinced of doing that when the net-effect is that everyone works exactly as it has before.

I could tell you right now in my 30+ years of IBM experience that converting our full manufacturing facility’s ERP package to RPGIV is way, way more than “just a weekend”. Sounds like this person works for a small shop, and good that they were able to do it in a weekend.

I’m a firm believer that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. New/specialized development is done with whatever fits the scope of the project of our facility, be it RPG/400 or ILERPG/Java. I do find it odd that the OP is not allowed to code in ILERPG for new projects. That’s a bummer. Packaged code I can understand, but entirely new stuff should matter.

If IBM did what Apple does and tell them to get current or else, IBMi would have gone extinct ages ago. IBMi customers have a lot of money invested in their systems/packages and its not in IBM’s interest to tell their customers what to do. It’s why IBMi is still kicking strong today. Code developed 30 years ago (or longer) sill runs today with zero maintenance. That means IBM can sell those customers shiny, expensive new hardware to run their old legacy code and keep them happy.

My 2-cents at today’s market rates.

On Jul 16, 2020, at 13:28, Jon Paris <jon.paris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Because it does provide significant benefit in the case of program maintenance.

Admittedly:

_if_using a package from an antiquated vendor who insists on sticking with an out-of-date language forno good reason

and _if_ you are taking regular maintenance updates from the vendor

The maybe.

JDE is one such package. It is so hard to switch it to RPG IV that several one man shops have made the conversion by themselves over a weekend! Yup - it is such a huge effort with so many compatibility issues that it took a while weekend!

Sadly IBM did not hold many of the ISV's feet to the fire as they should have done and we all pay the price because (as I thin Vern noted) we become seen as an obsolete out-of-date platform.

Sigh .....

On Jul 16, 2020, at 4:11 PM, Eddie Gomez <gmon750@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Our ERP system is still RPG/400 with countless of vendor-supplied /copy includes coded in RPG/400, and their API’s as well. We do ILERPG/Java where needed, but we’re still predominantly an RPG/400 shop. There is zero benefit for us to convert anything to RPGIV or ILERPG. New development where applicable is done in ILE, but it’s more the exception than the rule.

If converting RPG/400 to RPGIV provides little to no benefit other than converting the code, why do it?

I suppose I can understand the higher-ups banning the process.

On Jul 16, 2020, at 12:56, Ignacio Garcia <cascada3405@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Weird....when everybody wants to do the opposite way

El jue., 16 de jul. de 2020 2:52 PM, Brian Parkins <goodprophet.bp@xxxxxxxxx>
escribió:

Just to be pedantic and for the avoidance of any doubt, is your
management aware that converting to the RPG IV syntax and using ILE
features are two quite different, separate things?

You can convert to the RPG IV language with confidence; many, many
others have done so and it works. ILE is not a consideration, unless you
actually want to take advantage of its facilities. So, you convert
RPG/400 to RPG IV, (not ILE).

There has always been some confusion over this because RPG IV is often
referred to as ILE RPG, (To distinguish it from RPG/400.) Good old CL is
also an ILE language. I bet they don't stop you using that! (The syntax
is no different.)

Brian.

On 16/07/2020 19:48, dfreinkel wrote:

I have been banned from converting to ILE.

Thanks
Darryl Freinkel

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