Re: Chalk one up for "The Cycle"

["Michael Ryan" <michaelrtr@xxxxxxxxx>]

It's not complexity, it's hiding what the program is doing. I (and a
bunch of us) have written RPG for years and years, and I know the
cycle cold. I taught the cycle for years. And any graybeard RPG
programmer should know the cycle. But that's not the point IMO - it's
that others, especially new people, won't know it. Sure, they can
learn it...and they can have the opinion that RPG really is a Report
Program Generator with Specifications. Or, they can learn cycle-less,
free format, RPG/IV code, and use all the techniques that they learned
in school. I would rather have RPG be a mainstream language rather
than a specification language. I don't think the cycle makes a program
more efficient; it just removes lines of programming code that a lot
of people would expect.

Does anyone know if using the cycle makes a program more efficient,
less efficient, or it doesn't matter? Files still need to be opened,
records still need to be read...I dunno.

On 4/26/07, Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I do not understand the difficulty in learning the Cycle?  People write
> as if it is tough to understand.  To my mind it essentially is a means
> of doing the housekeeping for you.  Just let the system open and close
> files, read records, keep track of level breaks, and do the multi-file
> processing.  There's no need to create the same hamster wheel over and
> over.  Where is the complexity that scares everyone?
>
>
>
> Raby, Steve wrote:
> > <snip>
> > What difference does it matter if it's the cycle or sql if the next person in 
> line to have a go at the
> > program doesn't understand the full function of RPG?  Let's say he used SQL, and 
> the next programmer has no experience in SQL.  Wouldn't that waste just as much time as 
> an SQL savy person who has no clue about the cycle trying to modify a cycle 
> program?<Snip>
> >
> > But of course we should only learn new new things, not old new things. <tic>
> >
> > <Snip>
> > If you can't figure out the cycle, then pass the program to someone that can 
> figure it
> > out, or learn it so next time you know about it.  It amazes me sometimes
> > the lack of gumption to learn something new.  Even if you don't like it,
> > you should learn it in case you have to work with it.<snip>
> >
> > Hear hear.
> >
> > Steve
> >
> >
>
> --
> ---------------------------------
> Booth Martin
> http://www.Martinvt.com
> ---------------------------------
>
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