Eclipse is written largely in Java. The only parts that are not written in Java are the user interface controls. Because Java is just too darn slow, IBM used platform-native user interface controls to help speed up processing. So if you're on Windows, you get the familiar Windows user interface controls; if you're on UNIX, you get Motif. In addition, add-in components can be built and integrated with Eclipse.
That's all well and good, but is IBM just promoting another "next year's" technology that the mass iSeries market isn't ready to pick up on? I recently decided to attempt to install and use WDSc on an IBM ThinkPad with 512 MB of RAM and a 1.8 Ghz Pentium 4 CPU. The installation itself was marginally problematic, but I eventually got the product installed.
But even with a 1.8 Ghz CPU and 512 MB of RAM, the WDSc development environment still took "centuries" to load. After a few posts on an email list server and a couple of interviews with the only two people I found who actually use this product, I discovered that you really need a minimum of 1,000 MB of RAM to use Eclipse. In fact, one user told me, "You really want an extra PC that has only WDSc loaded on it."
So, assuming memory prices continue to drop, people may decide to throw away their old RAM 64 or 128 MB cards and replace them with two 512 MB cards. But that's just to get the thing running. It probably takes 2 or 3 GB to make it sing. But who knows?
IBM seems to be trying to promote a tool that for all intents and purposes will not be useable on the mainstream iSeries programmers' PC systems for at least a year or two. Both the WSDc product itself and PCs installed in iSeries shops will have at least a year before they're ready, and then the product still will not be as productive as the legacy SEU/PDM tools that over 90% of all iSeries shops use today. Most iSeries and AS/400 shops I visit have Windows 98 installed. More and more are installing Windows 2000 Professional which is, in my view, the best choice for a Microsoft Windows platform.
When I first saw Eclipse and heard about the WDSc development environment, I thought it would be more user friendly than IBM's previous development tools, and it is. But because of the performance and resource overhead, it's hard to believe that iSeries developers will move to it quickly.
I know I'm going to upset a few people with the following statement, but I'm going to say it anyway: IBM's biggest problem with application development today is the fact that IBM continues to insist that Java is the end-all language of choice. I think Java is a fantastic language, but the runtime environment just isn't there. Java was a good try, and maybe in a few years it'll be what it aspires to be. But if I were IBM, I wouldn't bet my company's entire future on every customer moving to Java "this week." It'll take some time before Java hits critical mass.
So for now, my suggestion is that you stick with CODE/400 or CodeStudio as your editor for RPG and DDS, and if you're still an SEU/PDM user (as virtually everyone is), then I suggest you stick with that, but try to move to the raw CODE/400 or CodeStudio for editing, and then use PDM for compiling and member management. If you stick with SEU, you're better off installing the RPGAlive product, which I recently saw at a customer location. It's the most useful add-on to SEU I've ever seen.
Bob Cozzi is a programmer/consultant, writer/author, and software developer. His popular RPG xTools add-on subprocedure library for RPG IV is fast becoming a standard with RPG developers. His book The Modern RPG Language has been the most widely used RPG programming book for more than a decade. He, along with others, speaks at and produces the highly popular RPG World conference for RPG programmers.
MC Press books written by Robert Cozzi available now on the MC Press Bookstore.
 |
||
 |
|
RPG TnT Get this jam-packed resource of quick, easy-to-implement RPG tips! List Price $65.00 Now On Sale
|
|
||
 |
|
The Modern RPG IV Language Cozzi on everything RPG! What more could you want? List Price $99.95
Now On Sale
|
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online