>>> RPG was a kind of assembler. IBM made billions of $ of the applications, not the language. <<<
Sorry Stockman, but you couldn't be further off about the nature of RPG. RPG is a procedural language with forms and database statements. A kind of assembler, indeed! Whose vague impressions are you relying on for that one? The guy in the next cube? ;-)
RPG was integrated into those machines, especially their smart terminals and their programming systems at a fairly deep level. POP, the propgrammer productivity package, and other features were integrated with it.
When the system 38 came out, the predecessor (after the s/36,34,32, and s/3) of the AS/400, the only language it had at first was RPG III, which had built in database declaration and access statements (non-SQL) as well as the usual reporting and screen forms generator.
The object modules linked in by the compilers were used by all programs simultaneously, and were kept in protected memory as part of the OS, predating the DLL by at least 15 years.
RPG was the programming foundation for the whole s/xx line, from which IBM netted (up to the present) a couple hundred billion dollars. Basic, Cobol, and C were gradully added to that line along with other languages, but RPG was the foundation of their success. Generally even programs written in Cobol would use the RPG screen generator for speed. Almost completely proprietary, although Wang and others were allowed to make implementations. IBM charged big time for the OS and programming tools, they were a huge part of total profits in those days at least.
Pretty good nitpick ;-) Another might be Visual Basic, apple basic, c-64 basic, basic-80, the starting points for Bill Gates fortune if I remember right.
Although core basic was public domain, Gates various ports of that were each quite unique.
BTW, I made a great living off RPG, on and off, for years. Then I refused to cheerlead for some piece of crap IBM wanted to sell to my clients, back around 1980 or so, and got myself blacklisted for telling them not to buy it. I forget the box designation. 4 color 320x200 graphics, slow processor (slower than the 8080 it seemed), fifty thousand bucks. IBM used to have a short list of recommended consultants for each city, which I was on, making money hand over fist until I decided to tell the truth about that one.
But what the hell, it sure speeded my full transition to PCs, C, Unix, DEC, 6502, etc.
Gradually they moved to more modern procedural and database languages, and now object languages. But RPG, like Cobol, continues to have it's place.
I guess I'd like to give this up now. I seem to have changed sides, but actually not. Just correcting the history a little. OK, dithering a little, too.
Naturally, I can't see how a proprietary language is going to be appropriate for the Internet. And my experiences with IBM, Microsoft, and others along the way have sure taught me to never trust the vendors more than you have to.
Cheers,
Chaz |
