Google “RPG”, and your first hits will be about role playing games. But before there were Role Playing Games, there was RPG (Report Program Generator). This was the name of a computer programming language developed in the 1960’s by IBM. It was designed to generate reports (thus the name) in a terse, simple way. It used a cycle of input, process and output that was built into the language, so that you did not have to issue formal instructions to the computer to read the data files; you just described the file using fixed -format File specifications and Input specifications, entered the necessary Calculation specifications, then output the report in the format described in the Output specifications. Your humble correspondent, without a lick of Computer Science education, learned the language (RPG II) from the manager of a small RPG shop (in a class he held in his kitchen) well enough to write non-trivial programs in a matter of weeks (one class per week). It was easy.
Today, that language has become RPGIV, reflecting continuing enhancements that make it an extremely effective language for manipulating data. You will not likely use it to write an operating system or make pictures dance around on your screen, but computers used by tens of thousands of businesses have it as their base computer language, generating reports and entering and displaying data.
The future of RPG today, though, is in doubt, even though programs totaling billions of lines of code are running today on hundreds of thousands of machines. This is a reflection of the state of computer science today, as well as an example of the fact that, too often, what is often serviceable and effective is set aside.for what is fashionable.
In programming, the fashion today is centered around the Web, and languages associated with the Web – Java, Perl, Python, Ruby, C++, Visual Basic, Javascript, and so on – visually oriented languages, for the most part. Can RPG do the Web? Yes, but you have to jump through hoops to make it work. There is no facility in RPG that allows it to use HTML as effortlessly as its customary screen display files. And there are forms of RPG from IBM and ASNA that resemble VB and Java with their Windows displays, but they are by no means nearly as ubiquitous as VB. The kids learn VB or teach themselves Java or C- they do not learn RPG. It is not sexy; RPG is like its cousin COBOL – they are functional business languages, but Windows and Web processing have to be grafted onto them to work on Windows or the Web. RPG can be used in conjunction with Java on the AS/400; it works quite well to use Java for the user interface and RPG for the core business logic; but people tend want to forget the RPG and use something (anything) else.
In short, all RPG has going for it is that it works. It runs on a machine (the AS/400 or iSeries or Series i) with a database (DB2) incorporated into the hardware- no extra database software, though it can run SQL (and RPG can call and run SQL statements). The operating system (OS/400) makes even Linux seem to run flaky by comparison, without the need for systems administrators, and the machine it runs on seems to run forever. There is no such thing as the “blue screen of death”; at least, I haven’t seen one in almost 30 years. (For a long time, Microsoft ran its business on the AS/400, well into the latter half of the 1990’s.) RPG can call C++ and Java programs, and they can call RPG routines. It can also run HTML, with a little bit of extra effort.
Perhaps RPG and the AS/400 are too good at what they do. You can run 35-year old RPG programs unchanged using RPGIV. (Try running 1980’s vintage GWBASIC programs unchanged using VB. It likely will not be easy, perhaps not even possible.) Planned obsolescence is not implemented, as what seems to be true in the programs of Microsoft and other software producers. (And frankly, I believe IBM has done the right thing, purely on principle. Programming should be done to benefit those who pay for it to be done, not to entertain the programmer. Change the program if you need to improve or fix it, not just for the sake of change.)
RPG is being taught by very few schools; some community colleges have given up on their RPG-AS/400 courses due to lack of interest. Few new programmers are being educated. The RPG programming population is getting grayer and grayer. Though it can be used quite elegantly to produce powerful data-crunching programs, the young are not learning it. Crunching data is not entertaining. On RPG forums the topic of the future of RPG is argued quite violently; perhaps it will survive as long as people care about it. It would be a shame to see vast numbers of programs rewritten because people no longer care to use this highly functional language.
I find it difficult to believe computer science grads find it difficult to learn a language that I could learn in a very short time under less than ideal conditions. (I typed my first programs into the computer on 96-column punch cards and fed them into a card reader.) I have read opinions of obviously educated people who feel that the RPG logic cycle and the use of RPG “level break” handling (of processing when a designated field changes in value) is incredibly complex; I read about it in my RPG textbook, said “Hey – that’s pretty cool” and didn’t need to give it any further study. It is incomprehensible that these people find it difficult. Evidently, it’s sometimes easier to learn something when you know nothing about the topic than when you think you know something about it and your mind is halfway frozen shut.
I wish I had a solution; far wiser heads have yet to come up with a solid solution for the growing shortage of RPG programmers. But it would be such a waste if someone doesn’t.
Guest Post – Curtis Barron
The Hyper-local Blog and 10 Questions you need to ask yourself before you get started.
The linear thinkers in Real Estate 2.0 seem to believe that by appointing themselves ’mayor’ of their suburb they will rule the roost in their real estate market. It’s an interesting concept. A new spin on the old school real estate newsletter that could put an agent on the map.
This is how it would work. You would pick some area that seems ripe with a financially viable, tech savvy group of people in need of information and hopefully a new home. What type of information would you feed them?….oh…everything of course. You see, you would figure out everything your ‘peeps’ are interested in and pipe it to them fresh by blog and RSS feed. High School player bios, the latest track results, and who’s cat had kittens….people love that stuff right?  All the good stuff.  They wouldn’t be able to get enough, so they would come back without having to be prompted by other means.  Of course you would go neighborhood viral worse than like little Johnny fresh out of kindergarten.
 People would stumble across the site on Google and many others would find it on flyers/mailing that would eventually be phased out once the web presence took over.  Then,  your constant craving for the information I have would keep you coming back like some sort crack head. You wouldn’t be able to get enough.  Of course all the while I would be subliminally establishing myself as an expert in your area. The perfect person to sell your home and the best resource for a buyer.
While all of this sounds great, my gut feeling on this is that it’s not quite possible/likely yet. I personally am not pursuing this approach to blogging locally. I am working on some approaches to this but an online newsletter it shan’t be. I can imagine a client being a little put off by the fact that you just decided that your going to insert yourself into their lives. I’m on record as saying I don’t think you jack black bencasino gratuites frcasino island blackjackblack jack daveycasino bonus de bienvenueregle jeu roulettewww traiteur casinobonus gratuitsjeu roulette casinojouer video pokerbonus gratuites de casinojack black spider mancomment gagner à la roulette en ligneregle de la rouletteslot machine gametelecharger jeu poker texasjouer seven card stud gratuitesle poker en ligne en françaispoker en ligne bruelentrainement poker gratuitesjouer au poker sans telechargerle poker apprendre à jouerpoker le jeujeux de poker sur internetpoker gratuites sans telechargementworld poker gratuitesjeu de pokerjeu poker freewaretelecharger poker holdpoker en ligne argent virtuelpoker holdem gratuitesjeu de carte pokerjeux poker tour en lignepoker online argentjeux 7 card stud gratuitespoker en ligne francaistour de pokerjouer au poker onlinejeu javalogiciel poker texas holdemjeux pokerjouer poker en ligne gratuitementtournoi texas holdemtelecharger jeu poker gratuitesstrip poker gratuitementpoker sans internetle jeu du pokersalle poker onlinepoker source onlinepoker texas gratuites can be a successful hyper-local blogger unless you live there, have kids, grew up there or have some other attachment that people can use to relate to you on a personal level. Maybe you should open your office there.
I have some concerns about the hyper-local approach because it seems to be a house of cards built on a card table.Â
The card table is the premise that you are filling a need.  The idea that people will continue to choose area experts since everyone charges the same. The idea that an agent that sells in one subdivision is not qualified to sell in another.   Can you imagine the tedium involved in putting this together? Tedious as it is, it is possible it could pay off. Especially if you’re making the comparison to established agents who are using the old fashioned methods successfully but will that transfer well to the Internet?Â
Here’s a few more random thoughts, questions and observations that should be considered before starting down this path. I wouldn’t say you shouldn’t attempt this approach, but rather, I would attempt to resolve these conflicts or plan ways to address the potential issues early in your development process.
Correct me if I’m wrong, I’ve seen lots of attempts at local blogging but haven’t seen anyone suggest that they’re ‘killing’ it with this method. A deal or 2 here and there doesn’t deem the method an absolute success. Even the most successful national bloggers don’t put up numbers that match top farm agent numbers. While there might be 20 agents makeing the high 6 figures in a big city, the big time local bloggers aren’t among them.  It makes me think the hyper-local approach is over-hyped and merely a new topic for a real estate conferences to ponder and theorize about.Â
I personally have researched many of the agents locally that blog as their primary rain maker and it really isn’t that impressive. It’s a living.  It’s not a surprise really, I feel they get a fair return on their invested time and money but I’m personally willing to trade money for time if it gets me to the same point or better.  Â
 The method doesn’t approach the numbers that standard farming brings in.  I’m left with the thought, that if you don’t have any ideas to generate business and you have a very limited budget, this can’t hurt.  I’m sure there are tons of agents out there that have the time to focus on this.  The 2 biggest problems with this is that the Internet hasn’t achieved a true hyper-local capability yet though I would expect that to change. Second, I’m not convinced that people would be any more likely to use you than the other guy that got some face time with the potential clients.Â
As for the house of cards analogy, once you have it all built and up and running, people using you and all…how easy would it be to knock down. Will you be able to keep up or will competition take over where you left off.
 Here’s a tip. Your clients probably Googled you. Blogging is key to your business because people use the Internet for research. Especially so when it comes to real estate. You have a chance to create your own spin, your own buzz.  Potential clients get to know you anonymously  and make decisions about your expertise and qualifications prior to making contact.  Even after meeting you they may want to learn more about you.  Â
 Just a few thoughts. Here’s some further reading on the subject:
 There is a lot said there and in the comments that might trigger some new thoughts on the subject for you.Â