What is the best language for RPG Developers to learn?

What language should I pick up in addition to RPG?

RPG developers often ask me, what is the best language to learn in addition to RPG? My first question is, do you program in RPG free-form and use RDi? If not, this should be your first step.

RPG is the core language on the IBM i that has been around for 20+ years. The challenge is there are a number of different versions and a mix of fixed-form and free-form RPG in production.

As a result one of the most valuable skills for the IBM i developer going forward is being able to read fixed-form RPG and develop in free-form RPG.

Let’s get back to the original question.

Most RPG developers get stuck on what language they should learn that will make them more marketable.

They hear about all the different open source languages (and technologies) that are used on the IBM i such as PHP, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and Java just to name a few.

Then, they get stuck and don’t make a decision.

My advice, pick one and start learning.

Don’t wait for your manager to send you to training. Just pick one and go. Learning how to program in another language is more important than what language it is.

Your ability to develop a framework to quickly learn a new language is the real skill.

On to this week’s issue.

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

News: Watson is now a career coach and the Power of Blockchain is in the Network.
Career: Make better decisions on what programming language to learn with mental frameworks & Getting hired with just a phone interview.
Development: An upgrade to RDi and How to use Git on the IBM i.
Learning: Learn to program in Python & Python project ideas.
Modernization: Docker and Mulesoft partnership & NoOps Implementation.
Trends: Healthcare uses Alexa, Cloud, Machine Learning, Mobile and Blockchain for a new experience.

News

IBM’s Watson is now a career coach

“A new partnership between IBM Watson and the workforce management platform Kronos will give hourly workers access to career-path coaching.” I like this idea. I would imagine this could be applied to professional and salaried employees as well. It makes me think about an article we highlighted last year about the best place to find RPG developers. Most companies overlook the most obvious place to find RPG developers.

The Network Effect of IBM Blockchain

It’s hard not to see the uses for Blockchain. As I speak with IBM i professionals from around the country it’s a technology solution they are very interested in hearing more about. As this article points out, IBM’s acquisition of Red Hat helps create a path forward for IBM Blockchain.

“Blockchain technology can mean many things to many people, but one key tenet of the technology is that it is dependent on the network effect. The larger, more open, diverse and distributed a network, the stronger its trust mechanisms and the greater its value to members across a network.”

Career

Make high-quality decisions with these 16 mental frameworks

Do you struggle to make decisions? Mental models or frameworks are the solutions. They “give you a perspective or a frame of mind with which to view the world. They also increase your likelihood to succeed and avoid mistakes.” Take 10 minutes and read this article. Your future depends on it.

Yes, You are Hired. No, We Don’t Need to Meet You First.

“Employers are trying to lure workers in the tightest job market since 1969 and are hiring some candidates sight unseen, at times after just a phone interview.” This story highlights seasonal workers specifically in retail but also touches on professional workers in IT.

It’s true, many RPG consultants often times don’t meet their employer face to face until after they are hired. The reason for this is, “reducing the time it takes to hire a qualified employee is critical.”

Development

An upgrade to RDi with iSphere

iSphere is an open source plugin that is picking up the slack. “When it comes to IBM i programming tools from IBM, Rational Developer for IBM i (RDi) is the integrated development environment at the top of many professionals’ wish lists. However, the IDE’s functionality is lacking a few departments.”

This tells a great story about how vibrant the IBM i developer community is. My prediction, we are going to see more of these types of projects in the future.

A technical summary of Git on IBM i

What is Git and why should I use it on the IBM i? Here is a short video that will give you a high-level overview of how Git can be used on the IBM i.

Learning

Everything you need to know to program in Python

Do you feel intimidated about picking up another language that you can use on the IBM i? Python is a general-purpose programming language that can be used to build just about anything. It is great for back-end web development, data analysis, and AI. Check out this Python course. It will get you up and running in no time at all.

Project ideas for Python.

There are about 147 posts over at IBM Developer works on various examples of how you can use Python in the enterprise.

Modernization

Docker partners with MuleSoft to help leverage legacy applications

“Docker and Salesforce/MuleSoft are partnering to help enterprises move towards a modern microservices architecture without sacrificing the value in legacy applications.” Legacy can often be viewed as old and outdated. This might be true for the presentation layer, but when we talk about legacy data, it’s the most valuable asset organizations have.

When is a NoOps implementation is the right choice?

Legacy applications are not compatible with NoOps because the “Odds are high that a legacy application would need to be completely rebuilt to accommodate NoOps, which is neither cost-effective nor reasonably feasible.”

Trends

Is Alexa The Next Doctors Assistant?

Healthcare is going through a makeover. “A few legacy applications will still require local hosting and most healthcare applications will migrate to the cloud.” Mobile devices will be used by both patient and medical staff, machine learning will leverage past data, and “Blockchain will not replace EHRs—it’s not a database—but it will help build trust for health data sharing.”

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Contact us

If you are an RPG programmer looking to explore opportunities or a client who is looking for a talented IBM i professional, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you.

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