|
The only reason you might consider rewriting applications in Java is if you were planning to port those applications to multiple platforms. Java is the preferred language for writing portable applications.
Even if you are creating new e-business applications for the iSeries server, you would still probably write your business logic in RPG. It is easier and more productive to write iSeries-specific business logic in RPG than in a portable general purpose "OO" language such as Java.
You have several options for e-business-enabling your existing applications:
1. You can use the new WebFacing Tool to create a Web interface to your existing applications. You are converting your existing display files into JavaServer Pages and Java beans and making little or no change to your existing business logic. "WebFaced" applications will support both a 5250 and Web interface. There is no dual maintenance.
2. If you are creating new Web applications that access existing iSeries data or applications, you can you use WebSphere Studio with iSeries Affinity enhancements. There are wizards in this version of Studio that generate Java code to access iSeries data and application, and there is a publishing wizard to help you publish your new Web application to the WebSphere Application Server on the iSeries. Using the wizards provided in this tool, you can create Web applications with little or no Java expertise.
3. You can create a Java front end to your existing RPG applications using VisualAge for Java. Using the Visual Composition Editor in VisualAge for Java, you can connect your Java Graphical User Interface to your existing RPG business logic and generate the Java code to access your host logic. Although you would need to become familiar with the Java IDE in VisualAge for Java, you would have to write little if any Java code.
|
