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If you own or intend to purchase an IBM eServer i5 ou iSeries, now that the ARCAD toolset is certified IBM Server Proven you may be eligible for certain advantages. To find out more, click on the image below :

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To find out more about the iSeries Developer Roadmap click here

What’s different about an AS/400 developer and a Java developer ? There’s a world of difference, looking from the outside. That’s why many companies have already come across serious problems of rivalry and mutual incomprehension on the two sides. This is a restrictive situation and particularly regrettable because it could be turned into a great opportunity. A mix of cultures leads brings richness to an organization.
Can the cultural differences be overcome ? Aren’t there any convergence vectors ? We will try to explore some of these ideas.

Sharing things
Sharing the same single programming language has always been considered a panacea by many IT directors. It has remained the driving force of CASE tool vendors coming from the AS/400 world. User companies that have been backing on these tools for some time and that have 100% of their code in a 4GL have every reason to stay on the same track. No problems with adapting their resources, rapid implementation, the advantages are numerous. Yes, but- the vast majority of companies have already invested in different technology. This quest for a unique language that can answer the needs of native development along with client/server and Web soon starts to look utopian. The persistence of “old” languages such as RPG or COBOL and the emergence of future languages are constants that we have to accept sooner or later.
What can we share then, if not the language ? The answer to this question has already been supplied by IBM : the development environment. Putting in place the new WDSc development environment is certainly the best way for an RPG/COBOL developer to demystify Java technology. It’s also the best way for a Java developer to take an interest in native languages, even if it’s slightly tougher in this direction.

Modernizing the organization
If there’s one thing that RPG and Java developers often share, it’s the level of organization they apply to their development. Such as changing application version at the speed of light, in the name of so-called reactivity (often hiding a patent lack of reliability) or technological improvement. In either case, they fail to meet users’ real expectations, who are crying out loudest for stability. And stability does not mean immobility. Stability comes from making application change within a precise and rigorous organizational framework, with well-defined validation and security steps. This is where the ARCAD toolset comes into its own. It guarantees coordinated development, facilitates communication between teams by revealing the inter-component links, and synchronizes the transfer to production and deployment. In this sense, it works as a major factor in culture convergence. Encouraging development teams to adopt a common toolset federates development teams into a shared project and prevents the natural tendency to work as separate groups.

Training
Getting to know the other world, this is where training becomes so important. It is the cornerstone of modernization. Training an RPG/COBOL developer in new technology is a priority, of course, even though the gap is not as wide as it appears. But we often forget about training in the other direction and this is often a blocking factor. The stereotypical Java developer is purely technical, has no history about the Information System and lacks knowledge about the business rules. So being at least able to read RPG/COBOL code is essential to avoid being shut in by the technology itself.

Making the differences understood
RPG/COBOL developers criticize the complexity of applications when they know little of their origins and doubt their justification. In some cases, they can also gloat about performance differences in applications. On the Java side, developers look at the iSeries server as an ancestor and fail to take the trouble to understand what made it so successful.
This is a pity as each could bring the other to a more pragmatic view of both the user and the applications they are developing, and Java developers in isolation have nothing more than technology know-how. To bring about a mutual understanding and respect, each side needs to accept the combined benefit of the two cultures.
What is also important, is to look back at the historical aspects. Because in the end, as the saying goes, “nothing is created, it is just transformed” - this shows that we are not really in two different worlds, but just in the same transforming world. Java developments just add to an existing mechanism but do not substitute it.

Conclusion
Looking beyond the technical conflicts to favor a harmonious and therefore productive organization - this is one of the stakes of application modernization. Starting from the ARCAD Software core business, coupled with our own experience of developing in heterogeneous technologies, we are well-placed to encourage you towards an improved organization of your IT, as automated as possible.

Copyright © 2005 ARCAD Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
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After a busy early Summer including COMMON Europe, the annual ARCAD User Forum and seminars in Luxembourg and Poland, Fall 2005 will be just as rich in upcoming events. We’ve given you the events schedule below along with venues and access details.

We hope to be seeing you there!