Re: RPGIII compiler vs. Visual Basic -- MIDRANGE-L

On 6/15/05, Alan Campin <Alan.Campin@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> My post concerning RPG and VB6 was meant to talk not so much about ongoing 
> compatibility but the fact that ILE RPG and VB.NET are new paradigms. They 
> are different ways of thinking.
> 
> I agree that IBM is much better at maintaining compatibility than Microsoft 
> could ever be but the issue with VB is not one of compatibility to me. The 
> problem is a paradigm shift. VB.NET, really it should be C#, requires a new 
> way of thinking and that is what the VB6 programmers are fighting just like 
> RPG programmers are fight ILE RPG. People don't want to change their thinking.
> 
> I know darn well that Microsoft did not make the changes to VB.NET just 
> because they felt like it. They made them because they had to. They simply 
> could not continue to support the old monolith model and move forward. They 
> needed to have a fully object oriented programming language to support moving 
> forward. Like I said, still think developing VB.NET was a waste. If you are 
> going to rewrite, just rewrite in C#.
> 
> But now an important point for the AS/400. In a real sense, we are in the 
> same boat. How much longer will companies continue to support writing of 
> 10,000 line monolith programs on the AS/400 and the associated maintenance 
> costs? I think a lot of them already are voting with their feet and leaving. 
> Those that are staying with the AS/400 are mostly moving to C# and Java front 
> end. AS/400 is becoming a database machine. Why?
> 
> IBM did not develop ILE just because they felt like it. They developed it 
> because what we had wasn't working. We needed better ways to write programs. 
> The real question for AS/400 programmers is, are we going to move forward and 
> use the tools ILE  RPG gives us or try to stick our heads in the sand and 
> hope it goes away?
> 
> So far, it seems to me people are voting to stick their heads in the sand. I 
> have been looking for new job for months but keep running into same problem. 
> Manager takes one look at an ILE RPG program and freaks. Don't want any of 
> that around here. I know that I could lie and just claim to just write RPG 
> III to get a job but what good does do me? Just get in and try to write ILE 
> and manager has a fit. The fear out there is palatable a lot of the times. I 
> have to be careful saying the word ILE or procedure around here. People get 
> so upset.
> 
> Oh well. My opinion only.

You make good points Alan.  The VB/RPG analogy has a lot to be said
for it.  VB succeeded because it was decent language that was
customized for the Windows platform.  Same can be said for RPG.  It
was all the productive VB programmers, writing a lot of applications
that made Windows 3.1 so successful.  Same for RPG and the AS400.

You fault RPG programmers for not adopting ILE.  As I understand it,
the major application package providers on the AS400 have not embraced
ILE either. If that is true you have to fault the software companies
also.   Maybe MS has it right - better to force your users to upgrade.

-Steve