OMG! I think I agree with Richard! ;-)
Truly, the beginning of this project started out as something innocent and
something that every IBM i shop wants and that is a simple list to tell
them what to do to modernize. Problem with that is that there is no
simple answer.
Think about it, in the old days you had a "AS/400" shop where everything
was done from the system perspective. Some would hide behind the
statement "system can't do that" in an effort to maintain the purity of
our IT world. Sure, some of us were clever and tried to address
shortcomings with really nifty and oftentimes useful utilities. And some
worked the "hell-night" of the requirements process at COMMON to beg IBM
for changes. But at the same time other platforms in the free market
society came along to fill in the gaps and voids. IBM i and its ancestors
slowly began addressing those gaps. Today IBM i has incredible power and
features, all the while maintaining the integrity and backward
compatibility of RPG, etc. Best of all worlds, IMHO.
So today while each IBM i shop is different for so many reasons so is the
modernization solution. The RPG faithful have CGI, the CS purist can
integrate Java, the quick and dirty can employ tools to convert,
screen-scrape and script at virtually any price-point. Even the shop with
very diverse resources like VB, Oracle and Linux can find a way to
integrate to IBM i and call it modernization.
Make no mistake, very few solutions have gotten easier. RPG/Free looks a
lot different to my Dad who coded RPG II and loved it for its quick and
dirty productivity vs. COBOL. I find it enlightening how each of our
chosen approach's seems utterly simple to us but others may not share that
same opinion. I say let the chaos reign and leave the page open for those
who seek to message their avocation as clearly as they see fit. Let the
discussion continue an let this page be the center point of that dialog.
I applaud David and the many moderators of these lists. As they have in
the past, let their courage and intestinal fortitude continue to provide
an ecosystem for us all to engage in our ideas conflict in cyberspace and
not on the physical plane.
Peace for 2013!
Regards,
Mike
Office Phone: (708)233-5880 Cell: (408)679-1011
-----Original Message-----
From: web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Richard Schoen
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2012 12:21 PM
To: web400@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [WEB400] Web Enabling Applications - new Wiki page
Seems to me that since it was created as a simple list for "Web GUI
Development Options", this is fair game for just about anything.
Better to have more available options rather than less.
Now if someone wants to start breaking it down, then the complexity
begins.
Keep it simple :-)
Regards,
Richard Schoen
RJS Software Systems Inc.
Where Information Meets Innovation
Document Management, Workflow, Report Delivery, Forms and Business
Intelligence
Email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web Site:
http://www.rjssoftware.com
Tel: (952) 736-5800
Fax: (952) 736-5801
Toll Free: (888) RJSSOFT
midrange.com
