From: Buck
I'm very familiar with code generators; I spent more than 10 years
supporting a very large Synon application. I think I come by my opinion
of EGL as 'programming for dummies' honestly.
Hmm. Okay, but I don't use EGL as a code generator, Buck. I use it to
generate a user interface for RPG business logic. For me, EGL is no more
and no less than a way to create a display file for the web. It's the web
equivalent of a 5250 program that does nothing but call a server.
I may be wrong, but I think that your objection to EGL is based on the idea
that I advocate writing business logic in EGL, and I don't. I use the EGL
tooling to knock together web UIs for RPG.
I can use Synon to build a CRUD and an inquiry in somewhat less time
than your EGL example took. That's not a dig on EGL nor is it a plug
for Synon. It just turns out that code generators are pretty darned
good at CRUD and simple inquiries.
My point was not the creation of the CRUD as an application to be put into
production, Buck, but the generation of a skeleton that could then call an
RPG back end. I seem to be losing that part of the conversation with you:
everything I do with EGL is designed to call RPG business logic. With the
exception of simple inquiries that can be done via SQL, I will always call
an RPG back end.
You can probably do this with Synon, too, but that sort of defeats the
purpose of the tool.
I think that the Midrange market in particular needs to spend more time
learning and understanding the underlying technology so we can make use
of it and less time looking for a silver bullet that will allow us to
get on the web without understanding it.
I agree, but Buck, I wrote about how to do that what, ten years ago? I've
been talking about using JSP Model 2 as the front end for RPG business logic
for that long, and the overwhelming majority of response is something like,
"We don't have time to learn any another language." And that's from the
experts right here in this list.
Well, if you don't learn another language, you either write RPG-CGI or you
don't go to the web. At least with EGL you do to the web and you have
WYSIWYG tools to help you get there. And you still call RPG as your back
end.
Is that any clearer? Because if it's not, and you still think that EGL is
simply Synon in WDSC, then we're pretty much at loggerheads. You won't get
any argument from me that everybody should learn basic web programming -
that's the "renaissance" programmer I was talking about. However, for the
vast majority who seem to NOT want to do that, in my opinion EGL is the best
way to put RPG business logic on the web.
Joe
midrange.com
