You don't know how lucky you are.

[George Kinney]

"Russ Salsbury" <rcs at russellsalsbury.com> wrote in message
news:3ea624c6.0305121712.218c6628 at posting.google.com...
> Andy Jewell <andy at wild-flower.co.uk> wrote in message
news:<mailman.1052776938.14230.python-list at python.org>...
> > My head is now full of cryptic, raggedy, uppercase, rambling RPG/400.
>
> My sympathies, Andy.  I once looked at an RPG/II manual for the 360/20
> around 1970.  Fortunately my boss let me code in assembler and I never
> actually had to code RPG.  But I imagine that you are using RPG/IV, a
> much more advanced version. :-) Or is it IV as in transfusion?
>
Its definately an old version, the newer incarnations don't have any of
those limitations.
Of course anyone who believes that maintenance programming is glamourous is
dangerously
delusional.

> For a Pythonista to code RPG must mean that the job situation in the
> UK is as bad as it is here in California.  The only solution that I
> can offer is for you to write an RPG to Python interface, then write
> your programs in Python.  If your boss asks to see the RPG source,
> just take any old RPG program and do a random shuffle.  He'll never
> know the difference.  You OTOH will only need to code a couple of
> hours a week to keep up with your coworkers and can spend your time
> playing Minesweeper or other suitably productive enterprise.
>

Actually he can use python natively on the '400. (Assuming they are running
v4r1 or
later, which is doubtful considering what he's described.)
(http://home.no.net/pgummeda)

And I hate to say it (well not too much since it pays my rent :) ) but RPG
is very much alive
and kicking.   Its not a swiss-army knife like python, but it certainly has
its strengths in the
right context.