RE: First Internet application -- WEB400

The SQL examples will be great and highly useful to those of us planning on
holding onto DDS until IBM pries it from our cold dead fingers.

Examples are good.  Lots of simple, complete, working examples *isolating*
and *illustrating* one or two principles or techniques are extremely
valuable learning tools.  Not everybody wants to use every technique; I
personally feel two simple examples are better than one complex example, and
a series of related examples (showing linkages, etc.) is the best of all.

The forward: iFrank or eLou?  Neither.  There are a couple of
industrial-strength posters on these lists; you could easily get 10,000
pages of opening comments from any one of them.  You could also run a
contest and select one or more mini-forwards; of course you wouldn't reveal
whose forward(s) you selected; all the submitters would have to wait until
publication, when you'd sell at least one copy per submitter!  Small
comfort, I know, but I wanted to cheer you up.


-----Original Message-----
From: web400-admin@midrange.com [mailto:web400-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf
Of Brad Stone
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 9:33 PM
To: web400@midrange.com
Subject: Re: [WEB400] First Internet application

> Misunderstandings: you provided excellent explanations in
> "eRPG".  I just
> wanted to make sure I had an excuse if you came back and
> said, "Hey, you
> missed these 18 cool things I described."  The
> possibility still exists, of
> course.

The first book was just a starter, to get folks familiar
with terms and technologies (like the HTTP protocol, HTTP
configuration, HTTP APIs, etc..)  Something to get you
started.  Trust me, I could have put together 10000 pages
instead of 380 or so.. but I, from experience, find
something that is overwhelming to be less than productive in
most cases.  :)

Which is the case for the 2nd book.  It's about 90% new
material.  A lot more code examples, including a whole
chapter devoted to GreenYak!.  It goes through all of the
pieces, step by step, showing some neat techniques not only
in eRPG, but Javascript, frames, HTTP headers, etc.  I took
the time to ask as many readers of the first book as
possible what they wanted in the next book.  I even think I
posted here months ago on the subject asking that question.

There are other examples and updated wrappers for the HTTP
APIs, just like in CGIDEV.  Even EASIER to use now.  For
example, instead of having to call the QtmhRdStin API and
pass it the CONTENT_LENGTH environment variable, there is a
new option that does this for you.  So you have your choice
of how you want to do it.

And the biggest change is an introduction to embedded
dynamic SQL instead of OPNQRYF for record selection.  Like I
said, I wanted to keep the first book familiar, and at the
time OPNQRYF was familiar.  SQL is gaining more acceptance
now in place of OPNQRYF, and it's a Heckuva lot easier to
use to select data for CGI applications.  That's the main
draw to Net.Data... and this time I show how it's done with
eRPG.

Again I didn't overload the book with a lot of stuff that
isn't used that often.  I stuck with what I have used, and
others (collegues, friends, and readers of the first book
who shared their success stories) use most often.  So, you
won't see an explanation of how to use the Retrieve HTTP
Directive API or how to use Layers with stylesheets and
JavaScript.  ;)

>
> Please let us know when your new book is available!

I will!  You can count on that!  The wheels are turning a
bit slow right now because of, well, you know... all the
stuff that has happened.  But it's in the works.  I should
think that early 2nd quarter it should be ready to go.  I
wanted it out earlier, but, things happen.  :)

IBM probably will never "support" eRPG or promote it, but I
can tell you that there are a lot more using it than the
industry would have you believe.  A LOT more!  :)  It's
people like Mel and Giovanni that are also helping to keep
this ship moving!  They ties to IBM give an illusion that
IBM says it's a good technology.  And sometimes that's what
is needed (unfortunatly).  I encourage everyone to support
Mel and Giovanni as well.

Speaking of which, who do you guys think would make a great
person to write the forward for this next book?  I don't
think Frank Soltis is available for that.  ;)  Or e-Lou.
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