RE: Why we don't use procedures more (was MOVE opcode in freeform / strange behavior w/%editc) -- RPG400-L

C was not the language for me, so I recently tried Java.  I love Java!  It
is easy to learn the syntax and write simple programs, and all of your
resources are free, even the development environment!  Just hop on over to
java.sun.com and take a look at what they have to offer.  Download Forte and
start pounding out code.  You are never too old unless you really believe
you are.  We just had an intern in our shop from the local tech college and
he knew java, and he also used a cane to get around!  I am guessing he was
60 or something.

**WARNING**  You will get frustrated because Java is a whole different
animal, but after you learn it you will want to use it all of the time
because it has some REALLY NICE features that RPG lacks.  It is also missing
some really nice features that RPG has.

Aaron Bartell


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard B Baird [mailto:rbaird@esourceconsulting.com]
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 6:53 AM
To: rpg400-l@midrange.com
Subject: RE: Why we don't use procedures more (was MOVE opcode in
freeform / strange behavior w/%editc)



Cris,

I think that you are right, it IS that I'm having trouble fitting these
concepts into RPG.   You say you started with C and that's given you a leg
up - I've always been an RPG guy.

I've 'taught myself' VB 3 times now.  I've been to Domino development
classes.  Only once did I write something in either of those languages that
would actually be used by anyone on a regular basis.  I've forgotten more
about vb and domino than many midrange P/As will ever learn.  But I've
never had the chance to hone my skills over a reasonable period of time to
actually feel comfortable with them.  nobody wants to pay a consultant to
learn VB or Domino.  I'm not clever enough to design something useful out
of thin air - I need to talk with someone with a need, determine the
desired results and design and produce the means to achieve the results and
then set a fire under my *ss to get it done in a timely manner.

learning C would be out of the question at this point - I'm too old to
start a new language - and I don't get ANY exposure to it.  If I saw more
of it in my day to day activities, I would start to pick up some.

eventually, I'll get my brain around the ile stuff to the point that I can
talk intellegently about it so I can convince the folks who sign the checks
that it's a good idea.   but it's the classic chicken/egg problem.

thanks for the encouragement though,

rick

--original message--
Chris said:
Is it that you're having difficulty with binding, passing by reference,
prototyping, etc,
or that you're having trouble fitting these into RPG?  That is, have you
built up
preconceptions (forgive me, I'm not being insulting, I just can't think of
a better word)
about how to use RPG that are preventing you from incorporating these
concepts
into your usage?

You can do a lot of this stuff in C++ on your PC at home.   Might be easier
to learn
this stuff in C, and then bring the concepts back to RPG.  Hell, even VB
supports
pointers and passing by reference.  Coming to an understanding of how to
exploit
this stuff might be easier for you outside of the confines of RPG and your
preconceptions about it.

I always had trouble with RPG.  I learned my craft in C on Unix (until I
became a
huge AS/400 convert years ago), and RPG's logic cycle always seemed
backwards
to me.  Now with IV and it's support for all this different stuff, I find
it as easy to get
what I need done in RPG as almost anywhere else, and just use what I think
is
appropriate.  I now do a lot of three tiered C/S work using VB or C for
client
development, and RPG on the 400 for server development (very easy and
effective,
now that RPG supports sockets).

What really helped me was Cozzi's RPG IV book, and Chris' Peter's
client/server
AS/400 integration book.  I learned a s**tload from that one.

I've read your posts and I think you're selling yourself short.  Keep at it
until it gives.
Pick something you've done before, like an API call, but make yourself use
a
prototype to define it and a callp to execute it.  Then, force yourself to
create and use
a procedure.  I think if you eat the elephant one bite at a time, you might
find it easier
than attempting to use/understand/exploit all this stuff at once.

--Chris

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