Re: Open source options to RDi for offline source editing?

The installation packages are large--much, much larger than RPG Next Gen.
But there's a reason. RDi is *much* more than just an editor. It's a very
richly featured development environment. We don't get all the Eclipse
features in the basic RDi install, but most things can be installed in the
same package group. So you can develop HTML, RPG, COBOL, Java, C, and the
list goes on and on.

I'm obviously sold. I bought into it long ago--in the CODE days, but I
have only positive things to say. I'm wont lie and say it's without
shortcomings or flaws--show me a program that doesn't. I know I cringe at
my own code at times. I've had to make design decisions that I wish
something else had been practical. Sometimes decisions have to be made
because it's what's practical, but far from ideal. But the developers are
very responsive. If there's something lacking, we can enter an RFE to
request it. If enough people want it (indicated by garnering sufficient
votes) and it's practical to do, it becomes a part of the package.

I download the zip-files and maintain a repository on our network. So
anyone else can install and update locally. Installing from scratch on a
new system takes less than half an hour. That includes additional plug-ins
and basic configuration. What takes the most time is the learning curve.
But I think most people can get comfortable and productive in a few days.
There will always be more to learn with a product this large and feature
laden. For training, I would suggest COMMON, the RPG & DB2 Summit, or any
other place you can get training. Jon and Susan have maintained some very
good stuff on their websites http://www.partner400.com and
http://www.systemideveloper.com.

If I recall correctly, IBM maintains a youtube channel with some good
stuff. Search around, There's a lot of help available. And don't forget
this list. There's a whole host of people more than willing to share ideas
and help with problems. And as you've seen, the development team from
Toronto participates actively. DISCLAIMER: They do this as they have time.
It is not part of their job. But they really are a great group of people
who want us to succeed at our jobs as developers.

And don't take the above as knocking the work people have done on other
editors. There's a time and a place. The old saying rings true about using
the right tool for the right job.

"WDSCI-L" <wdsci-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 02/19/2015 12:19:17 PM:

----- Message from Eric Simpson <esimpson@xxxxxxxxxx> on Thu, 19 Feb
2015 12:18:44 -0500 -----

To:

Rational Developer for IBM i / Websphere Development Studio Client
for System i & iSeries <wdsci-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

Subject:

Re: [WDSCI-L] Open source options to RDi for offline source editing?


Just to touch on a couple of points:
- download size: the zips are large which is why many users use the web
install method (if you only pick the RPG and COBOL Tools feature and

only

English, it is around 1GB download). But if you have the zips, you can

put

them on your own server so that your individual users don't have to do

the

download from the Internet. It just depends on what makes sense for

your

setup. http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21668005 lists
options for how to install Rational Developer for i at the latest level

on

multiple developer machines.
- admin install: admin install is the default mode of install but it is
not actually 'required'. There is a user-mode available. From the
knowledge center:
Note that to install product packages as a non-administrator, you must
manually run the userinst program in the InstallerImage_platform folder
from the DVD or electronic image instead of running the launchpad

program.

Thanks,
Eric



Eric Simpson
Rational Developer for i - Rational Developer for
AIX and Linux - Rational Developer for Power
IBM Software Group - Canada Lab
Phone: 905-413-3226 (T/L: 313-3226)
esimpson@xxxxxxxxxx



From: John Yeung <gallium.arsenide@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Rational Developer for IBM i / Websphere Development Studio
Client for System i & iSeries" <wdsci-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 02/19/2015 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: [WDSCI-L] Open source options to RDi for offline source
editing?
Sent by: "WDSCI-L" <wdsci-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>



On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 10:05 AM, Buck Calabro <kc2hiz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2/18/2015 5:46 PM, Dan wrote:

I'd like a simple offline editor I can use on a personal laptop

(Win7)

and

not spend RDi kind of bucks.

This turns out to be a handy question for folks like me who also would
not like to spend RDi kind of bucks, and whose employer is unlikely to
be persuaded to spend RDi kind of bucks either.

So, thanks to Dan for asking it, and thanks to the folks who have

answered.

Having said that, I have a soft spot for RPGNextGen. Mihael has been
quite responsive to requests from the community, but it's a very small
community indeed. He'd be more than happy to see that community grow

by

one.

I think I may well join that community myself. Just moments ago I
tried the RPG Next Gen Editor for the first time, and I am already
very happy with the experience.

The single biggest positive I have to report at this early stage is
the easy installation. It's hands down easier than RDi. I know the
RDi folks harp about the free trial. In principle, it sounds great.
In practice, it won't work well for some folks. In my case, the RDi
downloads are monstrous (two DVDs' worth, over 6 GB total). Then,
once downloaded, I can't install without admin rights. Sure, the RDi
folks say, it'll be worth the "very small" effort/wait to get your
admin to install it for you.

So many folks that I respect have sung RDi's praises that I have no
reason to doubt its value. But the barrier to entry just to get the
trial working is on the high side. In the meantime, I downloaded the
roughly 56 MB RPG Next Gen Editor package, unpacked it, and ran the
executable object right there. In minutes I had connected to the i
and opened a source member.

So you can bet I'll be kicking the tires on RPG Next Gen Editor. So
far it looks pretty good. I'm expecting to encounter rough edges once
I get into it, but even RDi has its rough edges, judging by this list.
I can already say RPG Next Gen Editor is worth a try, if for no other
reason than it *really is* easy to do so.

John Y.