Re: RDi Lite (was Software fixes for older releases)

On 1/30/2018 9:16 AM, Brian Parkins wrote:

Following on from Michael's post, here's a hypothetical question.

If IBM Rational was to deliver a "lite" version of RDi that was
affordable, (say, <150USD - or free!), what features should it include -
and what could you do without?

Here are some thoughts:

MUST HAVES
- Remote Systems view and attendant features
- Fully-functioning LPEX Editor
- Debug (esp. SEP support0
- Compile support and Error List view
- Fully-functioning Outline View

COULD DO WITHOUT
- iProjects
- Screen and Print Designer
- Object Table Views
- Code Coverage, (probably impossible to untangle from Debug)
- Data Studio
- Program Verify
- Application Diagram
- Source member conversion
- Coding Templates
- Coding Wizards
- 5250 emulator
- Push to client/server

Confession: I am a radical RPG-only developer. Web development is
Planet Forbidden to me. Keep that in mind as you read the next sentence.

I have waited 20 freaking years for Code/400 to be bettered.

Refactoring is in work, I can use the Outline View instead of the
compiler listing, Code coverage tells me what tests I need to write,
RPGUnit (Thanks Thomas!) lets me write them. iProjects lets me use Git.
Object tables let me manipulate objects as if I were using PDM. Source
member conversion - oh yes those old source members can kiss my grits!

All of these things make RDi better than Code/400. I waited a long time
for this.

The day RDi moves to à la carte pricing is the day several someones'
bosses start asking someone to do more with less in order to save a few
dollars. 10 dollars a seat for coding templates? Put your so-called
templates in a source member for all developers to use, including the
SEU ones - problem solved, money saved! Lather, rinse, repeat, and the
boss is saving Real Money before you know it.

Saving those dollars on our side of the glass necessarily means the Lab
gets fewer dollars. Given the à la carte concept, it's not like they
can stop developing/maintaining any of the things listed above, so
follow the declining revenue and say goodbye, farewell, aufwiedersehen,
good night to future enhancements.

It was good while it lasted.