RE: RPG enhancements (was RE: free-format move *USA date value to 6-digit numeric in YMDformat) -- RPG400-L

Oh! *That* five letter word...got it...

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: RE: RPG enhancements (was RE: free-format move *USA date value
> to 6-digit numeric in YMDformat)
> From: RPower@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Thu, December 29, 2005 9:54 am
> To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> Yeah... let's use behind for that... but what I was thinking of was more 
> to the front and lower....
> 
> Ron Power
> Programmer
> Information Services
> City Of St. John's, NL
> P.O. Box 908
> St. John's, NL
> A1C 5M2
> 709-576-8132
> rpower@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.stjohns.ca/
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. - 
> Sir Winston Churchill
> 
> 
> 
> 
> michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> Sent by: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> 2005/12/29 11:18 AM
> Please respond to
> RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> 
> To
> RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> cc
> 
> Subject
> RE: RPG enhancements (was RE: free-format move *USA date value to 6-digit 
> numeric in YMDformat)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "kick in the b****"
> 
> back? 
> buttocks?
> behind?
> brain?
> 
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: Re: RPG enhancements (was RE: free-format move *USA date value
> > to 6-digit numeric in YMDformat)
> > From: RPower@xxxxxxxxxx
> > Date: Thu, December 29, 2005 9:32 am
> > To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > 
> > While I agree that RPG IV is much better for coding than RPG III was, I 
> > have to agree with Bob on this point.  From the standpoint of a 
> developer 
> > within an organization (I used to be with that sold software) that 
> > produces software for the iSeries (or I5 or whatever they decide to call 
> 
> > it today)  the changes to the language in between patch fixes is 
> > untolerable.  Regardless that V5RM3 can do some new fancy stuff, the 
> fact 
> > is, unless all your clients are up to par (laughable at best) you can't 
> > use the new features anyway.  So what's the point?  Or you make the 
> > mistake of using a new feature, only to have some client call at 2 AM in 
> 
> > the morning, completely pissed off because their nightly update just 
> > failed because of some new fancy piece of code you decided to throw into 
> 
> > one of the programs figuring that everyone would be able to use it, 
> cause 
> > in order for your client to be using your version 6.0 software, they 
> have 
> > to be on a minimum of V5RM0, but the code you just used was introduced 
> in 
> > V5RM2.  Been there, got the stupid hat for it, not to mention the kick 
> in 
> > the b**** for doing it.  If you are going to enhance a coding language, 
> do 
> > it on a base release.  Not point releases.  That's just plain dumb.  It 
> > would be like adding features to a car halfway thru the year.  Example, 
> GM 
> > decides that halfway thru a model year they are going to change engines 
> > (and they have done this especially when phasing out engines in the 
> > cavaliers a few years back).  Now you have the nightmare of calling up 
> for 
> > parts, making sure you got the right one cause you tell them you have a 
> > 2005 Cavalier with a 4 cylinder.  Problem is you've got the 2.4 litre, 
> and 
> > they think you have the ecotech 2.2.  You strip it down to replace the 
> > part, but guess what.  You got the wrong one.  Dumb dumb dumb.  I was a 
> > mechanic in a past life, sorry for the vent lol.
> > 
> > Ron Power
> > Programmer
> > Information Services
> > City Of St. John's, NL
> > P.O. Box 908
> > St. John's, NL
> > A1C 5M2
> > 709-576-8132
> > rpower@xxxxxxxxxx
> > http://www.stjohns.ca/
> > 
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> > Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. - 
> 
> > Sir Winston Churchill
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Robert Cozzi <cozzi@xxxxxxxxx> 
> > Sent by: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> > 2005/12/29 10:50 AM
> > Please respond to
> > RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > 
> > 
> > To
> > RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > cc
> > 
> > Subject
> > Re: RPG enhancements (was RE: free-format move *USA date value to 
> 6-digit 
> > numeric in YMDformat)
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > James,
> > Did you read my post? I don't understand how anyone would be able to 
> come 
> > up
> > with your conclusions from my comments.
> > 
> > -Bob
> > 
> > 
> > On 12/28/05 5:07 PM, "James Rich" <james@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > 
> > > On Wed, 28 Dec 2005, Bob Cozzi wrote:
> > > 
> > >> If all this java, java, java,  write-once run anywhere crap is true 
> > (which I
> > >> do not believe in by the way) then why not make the compiler an 
> > independent
> > >> thing that could be ported to say OS/400 V5R1 or Linux or FreeBSD or 
> > AIX?
> > >> 
> > >> The bottom line is we used RPG III for years and years ( a decade? ) 
> > before
> > >> any enhancements were introduced except for ANDxx and ORxx. Oh and I 
> > think
> > >> they stuck an ENDIF in there too. So why do we need enhancements on 
> > each and
> > >> every release? Is this a U.S. Government "use it or loose it" 
> > mentality?
> > >> In my view, IBM is making RPG IV harder and harder to learn use, and 
> in
> > >> which to develop products. This can only add up to only one 
> outcome...
> > > 
> > > It seems that you would rather return to "the good old days" of RPG 
> III.
> > > Is this true?  In my opinion, RPG III is a *horrible* language.  It
> > > doesn't matter that many long lasting programs have been written with 
> > it,
> > > RPG III is still a horrible language.  The miniscule feature set and
> > > rotten syntax of RPG III limited what could be done with it and forced
> > > awful coding practices on developers.
> > > 
> > > I think the statement the RPG IV is harder to develop products with is
> > > absolutely ridiculous unless the application consists of nothing more 
> > than
> > > reading a primary file and writing a report.  In fact, many 
> applications
> > > are *impossible* to create with RPG III.  I'm not talking about fancy
> > > graphics that are simply wasteful, I'm talking about real, useful
> > > applications that people need to get stuff done.  Applications that 
> save
> > > money, time, and effort - not just in their development but also in 
> > their
> > > use.
> > > 
> > > I certainly hope there aren't any more decades where the only 
> > enhancements
> > > to the primary language used on the iSeries is "ANDxx ORxx ENDIF". 
> Good
> > > grief, those aren't enhancements, those are required syntax for 
> sensible
> > > coding.
> > > 
> > > James Rich
> > > 
> > > It's not the software that's free; it's you.
> > > - billyskank on Groklaw
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
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> > 
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