Re: CHGPF Question -- MIDRANGE-L

Chris Rehm wrote:

> >Many AS/400 owners are small to medium size companies.  They have
> little
> >to no MIS staff.  Certainly no DBA's.  Their computers are wedged in
> >tight somewhere in their phone closet.  It's hot in their offices in
> the
> >summer, and cold in the winter.  Not everything is perfect.  I agree
> >that a perfect world doesn't use LVLCHK(*NO).  I agree that there can
> be
> >problems.  But in the case that I stated, it was the only way to go.
> >Guess what? The programs worked, nothing bombed, they landed a new
> >customer, and I got the job done.  Do you think that if I told the
> >customer that I really can't get the programming changes done today
> >because it is bad form to use LVLCHK(*NO) they would understand?  No,
>
> >they would say, "make it happen."
>
> I think the above is pretty clear, Art. What you are saying is that
> you
> know it is the wrong thing to do, but you did it anyway as the "quick
> and
> dirty" solution. LVLCHK(*NO) is no more short sighted than hard coding
>
> department numbers or using two digit years.
>

I didn't say dirty.  You said dirty.  It was Quick and is working.

> When a customer puts an AS/400 in a closet, I tell them why (if) I
> feel
> they are doing the wrong thing. When they ask me to slap together
> something in 15 minutes I tell them why I think this is a mistake. It
> is
> the customers mistake to make, though, and I will allow that they can
> authorize any stupid thing they want. But they should be given full
> information first.
>

Of course that's the wrong thing.  The point is it's not wrong for that
customer.  Not everybody has raised floors, magnetic card entry, etc.
The 400 is a workhorse.  I work on one that is still running 2 years
after it sat under a broken water pipe for 2 days.

> When you are familiar with all the code on a site, and you practice
> quick
> fixes that you know will work just fine, then you become necessary for
> the
> operation of that site. That might be a disservice to the customer and
>
> they should be made aware.
>

It's a disservice if it doesn't work.  It's a service if it works.

> I've coded untold zillions of lines of RPG that use two digit years.
> To
> date, they run just fine and the customers are making big bucks. But I
> am
> not going to try and say that this was the right thing to do because
> it
> was quicker and nothing bombed. The show ain't over.
>

It was the right thing to do back then.  Programmers had to save disk
resources.

  Chris Rehm

> Mr.AS400@ibm.net



--
Art Tostaine, Jr.
Creative Computer Associates, Inc.
Parlin, NJ
732-525-9414


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