Re: Have you read this? -- MIDRANGE-L


----- Original Message -----
From: <boldt@ca.ibm.com>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2000 7:51 AM
Subject: Re: Have you read this?


- SNIP -
> >As with any OS at some point users are the best resource for information
> >and documentation. But it appears you are asking us to do IBM's job.
> >Make OS/400 open source, make RPG open source. Then, if we fail to
> >achieve the heights of the linux crowd, you can moan till your hearts
> >content.
>
> Our job is to provide tools and support for those tools.  But RPG
> programmers need more, things like robust service programs.
> Service programs for doing web pages and financial applications.
> How much are you willing to pay IBM for these kinds of extras?
> To a great extent, we leave this up to others.  In most cases in
> the AS/400 world, the additional functionality is provided by other
> companies.  If you don't want to code up some package for free, then
> why not develop one for sale?  But please don't expect IBM to do
> everything for you.

I guess from my point of view this ignores the huge disparity in cost
between the AS/400 icensed programs and the Linux user supported programs.
And IBM reaps the financial benefits of that huge disparity of cost. Maybe
we expect IBM to do more because of the incredibly huge amount of money /38
and /400 shops have pumped into IBM for upgrades - even when those same
upgrades (for hardware) produced not one iota of extra software
functionality.

In other words, the expectations is that we ought to get value for money.

>
> Although my bosses have other opinions, personally, I have no
> objections to making RPG open-source.  But how many RPG programmers
> would have the necessary compiler skills to maintain it?
>
 A good point. And also one of the reasons (in my opinion) perhaps as to why
there is not so much "freeware" around. My experience suggests that the
average RPG programmer has neither the time, inclination or the mindset
GENERALLY SPEAKING to  create commands that are truly general purpose.
Further, those that do (with the exception of people like Brad - to save him
throwing ther URL at us again <G>) are probably either in business or bound
by a "we pay for your code and retain the rights" ethos to not release those
procedure to the general AS/400 community, either for competitive advantage
purposes or intellectual rights type situations.

But take that thinking a step further.

A number of people over the years have commented that a PC based OS/400 with
compiler etc would be a bloody terrific tool to have at home.

It's the "home community" that this product would empower to use OS/400 that
would produce a great deal of the base of code you are talking about Hans.
And while IBM ignores those that can't pay the fat licensing and upgrade
fees that IBM has become used to as the norm (albeit for an admittedly
quality product) no-one is going to lift a finger to enhance THEIR (IBM's)
product.

For example: I'm an aging programmer with RPG experience or a pimply faced
youth fresh out of university. I can buy a VB compiler and a Windows PC for
say .. 5 Grand. What would a basic /400 with RPG cost me ? And all the damn
extra's - oh.. you want interactive SQL as well.. show us the door to your
wallet.....

This is compounded further when the marketting messages they send out is
that this is not a platform that can expect IBM's loyalty and committment.
Just compare the Microsoft Developer programs and the lengths they go to to
get people to commit to writing Windows code. Or the similar support Linux
people recieve from their own communities. IBM continually equivocate
regarding the AS/400 and aren't even committed enough to kick the ass of
their competitors they way they need to in order to send a message that says
" we are damn proud of our platform - we stand behind it - it ain't going
away" etc etc.

Why develop for a platform that can't even get it's manufacturer to
advertise it properly ?

Hans, with all due respect, this IS an IBM problem. It's one of positioning
and pricing and marketing.

Linux is "in there" becuase it's cheap and accessible. No way is OS/400
accessible to the masses.

Just my thoughts...

Cheers
Evan Harris


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