Re: Browser enablement

Others are heavily user interface oriented - gather inquiry parameters,
process the inquiry, present the results and offer a printing option.

For purely inquiry and reporting applications I'd suggest using IBM's Net.Data, 
which is automatically bundled with the HTTP server, and is probably already 
installed at your customer's sites.

Some people may question a Net.Data recommendation in light of IBM's recent 
promotion of PHP, which is architecturally similar, and has huge worldwide use 
and recognition, and is officially supported by Zend.

Some people speculate that IBM will withdraw support of Net.Data, but my gut 
feel is that IBM will continue supporting it for perhaps 10 more years.  
Net.Data is supported on OS/400 releases prior to V5R3.  PHP requires V5R3 or 
higher, if that's a consideration.

Both Net.Data and PHP files are interpreted at runtime.  There's no compilation 
process.  Just type in a URL that references a file on the IFS that contains 
Net.Data or PHP script and HTML, and you're rewarded with an immediate 
response.  Interpretive runtime environments like Net.Data and PHP are very 
seductive from a developer's point of view.

Net.Data runs under the native virtual machine while PHP runs under PASE.  From 
an end-user's perspective, Net.Data appears to perform better than PHP, but 
that's just a personal observation, not supported by any real benchmarks.

For software products that support a lot of data entry, maintenance, and 
transaction processing, then interpretive runtime environments like Net.Data 
and PHP are a poor choice, in my opinion.  A framework that provides more 
structure, is critical.

A few people accepted my offer from a different thread a couple days ago to 
forward a whitepaper about AJAX design patterns and best practices, which 
features a System i centric model for data entry, inquiry, and maintenance.  If 
something like that would be helpful, then the offer still stands.  Just send 
me a private email.

Nathan.





 
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