DBelcher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Joe,
If EGL is going to be part of a chargeable version or at least a higher
charge than the base, why would I want to learn it? I mean it is going
to be a struggle to get the money for the existing developers for SEU
and RDi (formerly known as WDSc) so why thrown in an additional amount
based on the fact the "I would like to try it out"? or have I
completely missed the boat?
Well, the first thing is it's going to be up to you (hopefully with the
appropriate help from IBM) to explain that you are NOT going to have to
pay "extra money" for existing developers for SEU and RDi. In fact, as
far as I can tell, unless you have more than four developers on a P05 or
more than eight on a P10, then you will be entitled to the new stuff
without charge or darned close to it.
If you DO have twenty developers on a P05, you've been cheating the
system for a while and you're going to pay. In fact, this pricing
structure exactly targets that group.
But neither of those points have to do with EGL. So let's talk about EGL.
EGL makes you more productive. WAY more productive. I can't even tell
you how much easier it is to create web applications with EGL than with
any other tooling. Even if you were to use the pure SQL tooling and not
take advantage of a single line of RPG, it's still easier to write web
applications in EGL than in any other toolset except perhaps the .NET
framework. Some would argue the "easiest" moniker, but I don't think
anybody would argue that it's ONE of the best.
Now, add in the tight integration to i5/OS for calling RPG code and the
end-to-end debugging, and there's simply no better tool out there for
creating web applications.
Now, if you want to use a non-IBM approach, you can spend $50/year on
MyEclipse and have a very nice development environment. You'll have to
learn JSF and Java and all of that. Another option is PHP, and I won't
even bother this list with PHP. It has its proponents, we'll see where
they are two years from now.
If cost is your deciding factor then one of these is the better solution
- provided you value your time at zero. If, however, you think your
time has some intrinsic value, then you need to compare the hours saved
using EGL to the cost of the product.
How many EGL seats will you need? I suspect not every developer in your
shop will need one, and in fact, if you're trying to do a proof of
concept, you'll only need one. What if IBM included one seat of the
tools with the compiler license? I've been lobbying hard for that, as
you may know. Would that give you enough impetus to at least try the
language?
This is a crucial point, and I'd like everyone to chime in. Let IBM
know if being able to kick the tires is crucial to your decision to even
try EGL. Several on the lists have already said so - feel free to add
yourself to that contingent, Doug!
Joe
midrange.com
