Re: IBM i "Open I/O" Architecture

[Hans Boldt <hans@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Nathan Andelin wrote:
> Hans,
>
> Regarding Open I/O encouraging programmers to embed user interface, database, and business logic together, I can see your point, to a degree. Like with traditional design patterns, it would be a trivial matter to read from a database file and write to an Open I/O file - and visa versa.
>
> On the other hand, it would't take much discipline to separate your Open I/O files into one service program, and your database files into another, and use exported data structures to link both together, so that related logic is separate too.  Hopefully, we've learned enough from the past to have some self-motivated discipline.  We don't need overbearing language constraints to enforce good design.
>
> Also, it would be really good design to have "generic" Open I/O handlers encapsulate parsing and formatting logic according to the type of device that the RPG program might be interfacing with.


Nathan: I agree. Part of my point is that this kind of design is still
going to need discipline on the part of the programmer. If programmers
think this is going to be some sort of "silver bullet", I think they
will be disappointed.

I can understand how some people might get excited over this. The
possibilities are indeed interesting. I just worry that a naive approach
to the new functionality may take a project down the wrong path. Savvy
programmers already know how to structure an application appropriately
using existing tools, such as procedures.

Cheers! Hans