November 1996

• In This Issue -
• Letters -
• Java: Double Latte or Dirty Brown Water? - Robert Tipton says Java promises an easier life for software developers, but it's still untested in the world of large, mission-critical applications.
• Making the AS/400 a "Me-Instead" Computer - Roger Pence cautions that IBM's new "me-too" Internet strategy for the AS/400 threatens to distract customers from the system's real strengths: ease of use, integration, security, reliability, and scalability.
• Newswatch -
• Vendors Ready for 32-Bit Migration - Pam Jones reports that all-in-one PC-AS/400 connectivity products support Windows 95 and the new NT 4.0. Vendors are now waiting for user demand for 32-bit clients to heat up.
• Presenting Unity! - IBM Rochester developer Guy Paradise guides you through Unity, a Windows 95 interface for accessing AS/400 system functions such as jobs, user and group profiles, printing, database functions, security, and the Integrated File System.
• Tour the New Client Access - Michael Otey explains the major features in Client Access for Windows 95, including a Windows 95 interface, an easy way to manage multiple connections, native TCP/IP support, views to AS/400 functions, and IFS support replacing shared folders.
• Client Access for Windows 95/NT Beta - In this product review, John Enck test-drives the Client Access for Windows 95/NT beta 2 release, which offers many of the same functions as Client Access for Windows 95 and works with Windows NT Workstation clients.
• Convert Legacy Dates with RPG IV's MOVE Opcode - Validating and manipulating date and time information has always been a chore. Virgil Green describes how RPG IV's new TEST opcode makes validating dates, times, and timestamps in either legacy or native format easy. And he explains how improved versions of the MOVE and MOVEL opcodes make it simple to translate legacy formats into native data types, and vice versa. With native date, time, and timestamp fields, you can take advantage of RPG IV's new date, time, and duration calculation functions.
• OS/400 Tools to Speed up SQL and OPNQRYF - IBM's Susan Bestgen and Tom Schreiber explain the PRTSQLINF (Print Structured Query Language Information) command, the Predictive Query Governor, and the query debug messages and how to use them to performance-tune SQL and OPNQRYF (Open Query File) applications.
• Set Up a Foolproof Library List - OS/400 uses library lists to organize libraries. Ernie Malaga explains what the constituent parts of library lists are and how to use library lists to search for objects. You can also use a library list to help establish, for example, separate production and test environments.
• Flag RPG Nesting Levels - RPG programmers who use SEU know it's difficult to find the beginning and end of a block of code, especially when there are a dozen consecutive ENDIFs or ENDDOs. The DOCRPGNST utility, presented here by Denis Seiler and Ernie Malaga, displays highlighted markers next to the beginning and end of all structured RPG operations.
• Step-by-Step Configuration for Asynch Client Access - IBM Client Access for Windows 3.1 test-team members Janice Glowacki, Darin Buhr, and Karla Oitzman show how to configure Client Access for asynchronous support.
• Client Access for Windows 95 TCP/IP Printing - IBMer Carole Miner discusses the two methods Client Access for Windows 95 offers for printing over TCP/IP: 5250 printer emulation with AnyNet and native TCP/IP printing with LPR/LPD. Discover the advantages and disadvantages of both.
• Using VB's Data Control and Data Access Objects with ODBC - Michael Otey explains how to use the Visual Basic Professional Edition's Data Control and Data Access Objects to connect a VB client application to an AS/400 database.
• Tech Corner -
• RISC Upgrade FAQs -
• New Products & Services -
• AS/400 LAN and Communications Attachments - Ted Hooten reviews some AS/400 communications options and singles out some good buys in used LAN and communications hardware.
• Buyers Guide: AS/400 8mm Tape Subsystems - John Ghrist presents a buyers guide to AS/400-attachable 8mm tape subsystems.
• IBM Announcements -
• Street Talk -