RE: Large library lists...

[David.X.Kahn@xxxxxxx]

Al wrote:

> First of all, I content that 25 libraries were
> plenty, however vendors that ported applications
> to the platform could not figure how to port their
> crappy applications without something more like a PC
> "path".

I agree that 25 libraries should have been enough. Unfortunately they're
not. It's no use saying to a customer that their package uses a crappy
design. It might be true but they don't want to hear it, especially when
you're charging them high fees for your expertise in that package. It's
probably a major package with a world wide reputation that they've spent
hundreds of thousands of dollars on. They want the iSeries simply to handle
a library list of any size they throw at it. The 25 limit causes real
hassles for big customers spending serious money on hardware and software
and they rightly expect IBM to jump through hoops to make it fit, not them.

> You could have set up an "extended library"  that
> would have sat below the user portion of the library
> list.  This would have broken no code, and given
> everybody exactly what they wanted.

How would this work exactly? Would it be an object that contained an
extension to the library list? I can see that this would stop the legacy
code from actually falling over, but the code wouldn't be able to touch the
extended library, so it might proceed under the incorrect assumption that
it has a strictly limited library list. Arguably this is worse than making
it fall over.

> The (faulty) assumption is that everybody has all of
> the source for their applications that were first
> written in the 80's.

Agreed. It'll be a headache for many.

> The only good thing that can be said about this
> fiasco, is that my kids need to go to very expensive
> colleges, and this will help ensure the cash flow.

I have to admit my own thoughts had run in that direction too.

> There is a TAA Tool help you fix the problem.

Thought there might be. :-)

Dave...
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