Re: Are *AFPDS printer files going away?

The 7.3 MTU,
available at
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_73/rzaq9/rzaq9.pdf?view=kc

says:
<snip>
IBM Advanced Function Printing Utilities (5770-AF1) is no longer
supported.
</snip>

The question really boils down to exactly what is IBM Advanced Function
Printing Utilities?
The official line is
<snip>
Many customers confuse AFP Utilities (hereafter referred to as AFPU) with
AFP, and think that AFP resources will no longer be supported. This is not
the case
</snip>

and

<snip>
The IBM Advanced Function Printing Utilities provide interactive,
menu-driven facilities that allow the iSeries or System i(TM) users to
design, create, and manage advanced function printing (AFP) resources such
as overlays (electronic forms and labels) and page segments (logos and
images) natively on the iSeries or System i servers for the users of
intelligent printer data stream (IPDS) printers. The AFP Utilities create
AFP resources that conform to the Advanced Function Printing Data Stream
(AFPDS) on the iSeries or System i servers.
</snip>

Basically this means that the Utilities product is gone. Existing stuff
will continue to work. While we had the utilities IDK if I've ever used
those menus.

If you want this statement "Basically this means that the Utilities
product is gone. Existing stuff will continue to work." in black and
white, from IBM, then read this:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=nas8N1022140
Read it carefully, they have a little line for those eager for 7.3 and
don't mind living on the edge.


Rob Berendt