Re: Why would you use MySQL with PHP instead of the native DB2 with PHP on iSeries -- WEB400

Pat,

Nathan can weigh in better than I can on the RPG architecture. He developed a framework called Relational Web (I think) that uses a concept *similar* to CGIDEV2 to generate HTML and serve it through a web server. Very cool. Very productive. We were both involved in a company that was focused on replacing an existing 5250 based school administration application suite with a web based one. Long story here on the lack of success of the effort. Nathan and I were united in our love for the i and goal of developing a replacement product that ran on i. However, we were divided on how to accomplish that. He, because of his investment (emotional and otherwise) in Relational Web, pushed for an RPG, i centric solution. I was more interested in something cross platform. I had no other skills than RPG skills at the time but I thought it would be prudent to seek a cross platform solution so I learned Java and we had a couple of teams of *mostly* RPG programmers develop prototypes in both languages.

AEE (yes, Application Execution Environment) provided a menu based system that could control authentication, authorization and application delivery through a browser based system. Since we had not only Relational Web applications, but also Java Servlets AND 5250 applications, AEE was designed to launch any one of those types of applications from the browser. Conceptually it was a very cool idea. The authentication, authorization and application control was based on a 5250 based program called ACS (Application Control System) that was written in the mid 80's for the S/38 (it was called Manager at the time). It basically allowed you to launch any RPG program from a menu that was generated on the fly based on the user ID, role, level and several other variables. You could assign a user to a given standard menu but because of the user's profile in ACS some items would appear or not. Some program would allow full CRUD, some only lookup or view, etc. All set by the administrator of the system. What was new in AEE, besides being web based, was the integration of the RPG CGI, Java Servlet and 5250 applications, again controlled by administrator settings. Not a radically new concept, but the implementation was pretty slick.

Nathan will, most likely, weigh in on the RPG architecture. He was the lead RPG developer when he and I were working together.

Pete

Pat Barber wrote:

I assume AEE(application execution environmnet ??)

but a little more explantion about the RPG apps might be in order for
the rest of us. I assume there is much more to this story.

Nathan Andelin wrote:

Since you were the product manager over the Application Execution Environment (Web based authentication, authorization, access, application hosting environment - for those who may be following), you might be please to hear that 2 of our former colleagues (Mike S. and Will S.) have developed, deployed, and are now supporting approximately 200 new RPG based Web applications under AEE, serving hundreds of concurrent users, who are serving about 300,000 students in the State of West Virginia.