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New Desktop RPG Editor

RPG Next Gen could be a quick, easy way to leave Windows

I do a lot of RPG and Java coding on IBM i and with my adoption of Linux on the desktop and I’ve been searching for a way to do my RPG development on Linux without needing a virtual instance of Windows to run WebSphere Development Studio Client (WDSC). See my last two articles, “Running WDSC From a Linux Desktop” and “Seamless WDSC From Linux” for more on that. I love getting involved in anything that furthers the IBM i platform and that usually means going on wild tangents whenever I see an intriguing piece of software. In the last nine months, this has led me to find a new open-source RPG editor, which I’ll share with you now.

Several months ago, a man named Mihael Schmidt generated some chatter on the www.midrange.com RPG mailing list. He determined RPGers needed to have another way to edit source members (i.e., RPG code) from the desktop, and thus RPG Next Gen was born. Figure 1 shows a screen shot of RPG Next Gen using a Linux desktop.

Why Another Editor?

You may be asking yourself, “Why another editor for RPG? Don’t we already have SEU, CODE (aka CODE/400), WDSC and now RDi?” Excellent question, and I have some thoughts on the matter.

First, while SEU is very efficient at keeping your hands on the keyboard and away from the mouse it still lacks some of the features I believe are fundamental for a source-code editor. For example, SEU can show only 19 lines of code at a time while all the other aforementioned graphical desktop editors are only limited by the size of your monitor and the font you choose. Also, SEU doesn’t have color-coding outside of purchasing a commercial product.

At this point, I’m going to take CODE out of the running because it’s no longer supported.

Next, I’m going to take WDSC out of the running because it’s not going to be supported. IBM has effectively given WDSC an end of life to no longer be supported by April 2010 and is instead offering their next-generation tool, Rational Developer for i (RDi), for a charge. Don’t get me wrong; the IBM team has done an excellent job of forming a solid feature-rich tool. My issue is that it’s no longer easily available to RPG coders because it comes with a $795/seat price tag, which means it needs to be justified on more than just a learn-to-use-the-tool front. There’s a 60-day trial, but I’d like to see IBM give at least one seat free with the purchase of the compilers so small shops and individuals trying to get RDi into their shops have an easy avenue.

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