RPG is a vibrant modern programming language and its getting moderner.
is moderner a verb? it should be 🙂
If you are an established RPG programmer, its just too easy to use the same old tried and tested techniques when coding. Doing things the good old fashioned way (or perhaps you call it the tried and tested way) generally means no SURPRISE delivering program code to your customers, or Bosses… but… are you taking advantage of all the terrific new opcodes and programming techniques that have been flooding into our IBM i RPG arena in recently?
How do we know whats out there?
There’s always the “good ole” RPG Redbook — Who Knew You Could Do That with RPG IV? A Sorcerer’s Guide to System Access and More — which is probably still the best place to start learning about the more advanced part of RPG programing. This redbook has a bit of everything. Written for OS400 V4R2 (before the IBM i rebranding?) I think so a fair bit has changed. But it was partly written to show previous generation RPG developers how and why they should make the switch to RPG IV.
Even now, years later, it has some neat programming techniques that still strike me as modern and just plain cool.
This is a must read for every RPG programmer out there….