RE: free form RPG reference

["Lim Hock-Chai" <Lim.Hock-Chai@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It always sound strange for me to use learning curve as an excuse to
request all developers to not use/explore new feature of a language that
the developer is supposed to master in.



-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jonathan Mason
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 2:34 AM
To: 'RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries'
Subject: RE: free form RPG reference

Hi Tom

> How could this become a "management approval" item? How is it 
> different
from using an API that 
> became available for V5R1 or a new IBM command? Especially, how is it
different from using a new 
> %bif or any other feature of a language?

It's very different because it has an impact on the whole RPG
programming department.  Use of a new %BIF or command can have an impact
- I've been in a number of sites where new %BIFs weren't allowed because
of variations in operating system levels.  

The change to free format RPG requires some degree of a learning curve
which by its nature will reduce the programming efficiency of the
programmer involved and there is also the problem of having to maintain
something you may not be familiar with.  A lot of places will stick with
fixed format RPG purely because that's what their programmers know and
is also what their packaged software is written in.  

I've worked at a number of sites in the UK and at one of them, a major
automotive company, a contractor had to ask for permission to code a
program in RPG IV simply to get around a field/record size limit.  That
was 5-6 years ago and I doubt if there programming standards have
changed much since then.

Jonathan



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