IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

[MCWebsite.Staff]

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[J.Pluta]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
Before I say anything, I have to make the disclaimer that my product, PSC/400, is a true Web-enabling product, so screen scrapers like HATS are a type of competition. So take my words with a grain of salt. However, Mr. Kroon's article makes an assumption that I find very disturbing - an assumption that may have caused more Web-enabling failures than any other. The statement in question is this:

With HATS, however, IBM now offers a tool that is definitely designed for developers with little or no Java- or Web-development skills. This could make HATS attractive to many iSeries shops that lack these skills and need a simple way to Web-enable their green-screens.

The implicit assumption is that companies without Web skills should Web-enable their applications. This is simply not true. It is my assertion that no company should go about Web-enabling without having at the very least some competent consulting and a full game plan, and better yet a full-time team dedicated to Web architecture and deployment issues. For smaller companies, this team could be as small as one person, but without a specific owner of all things Web, the chances of transitioning to a true Web environment are very, very slim. We've seen time and again companies taking a tool, applying it to a simple inquiry screen, having an initial success, and then using that as the basis for a strategic decision to move everything to the Web. The ensuing issues of scalability, uptime, system load, security, integration, deployment, and maintenance, just to name a few, aren't even addressed, much less budgeted, and suddenly what has been scheduled as a three-month slam dunk is suddenly an 18 month money pit with no signs of success. If your shop doesn't have Web deployment skills, you shouldn't be trying to deploy to the Web. If you don't understand the IFS, you're not going to understand HTTP. If you don't know Java, you're going to be lost when it comes time to debug servlets. HATS may be fine as a screen scraper, which by definition is a way to make an internal application prettier or give browser access over an intranet. But since like any screen scraper you get no interactive tax deductions, and since the customization capabilities are limited, it doesn't seem to be a strategically sound alternative to any of the more robust Web deployment options, and positioning it that way simply muddies the water, to nobody's benefit. Joe Pluta, President Pluta Brothers Design http://www.plutabrothers.com

[jstevens@mizehouser.com]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
There is one question that I always ask when I reviewing new screen scrapers, GUI converters, Host to Web tools, whatever they want to call them. That is... How does the sub-file processing work? From a JWALK, or Webfacing standpoint, the sub-file processing is still a one-to-one relationship - ie - you still have the Page up/down keys. Now, you may have a screen control that looks like a scroll bar - but it still generates a page-down, page-up - because that's what the 5250 processor going to require. I think that JWALK and Jacada have issues with licensing cost. If you take a product like Host Publisher, then you can get a true sub-file with scroll processing, not page-at-a-time processing. But host publisher is ALL macro driven, and each screen, or page presentation has to be totally re-built, with macros to get and put the data. From what I read of HATS, it's kind of the cross between Host Publisher, and WebFAcing. It looks like you'll be able to do true scroll processing, like Host Publisher, but also have some of the screen conversion capibilities of Webfacing. We were just about ready to throw our hat (sorry about the pun), into the WebFacing ring, but it really didn't give us the all of the functions that we wanted. With the HATS coming in June, I'm recomending now that we wait until we can find out some more about HATS.

[J.Pluta]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
"I think that JWALK and Jacada have issues with licensing cost." I'm not sure I understood what you meant here, Jeff. "From a JWALK, or Webfacing standpoint, the sub-file processing is still a one-to-one relationship - ie - you still have the Page up/down keys. Now, you may have a screen control that looks like a scroll bar - but it still generates a page-down, page-up - because that's what the 5250 processor going to require." This, on the other hand, I completely understand. Because screen scrapers sit on the 5250 data stream, there's no way they can do anything except emulate the page up/down keys in order to get more data. You have to go farther down in order to be able to present a subfile as a single HTML page. For example, since PSC/400 intercepts the I/O at the program level, it can present the data either a page at a time using the traditional PageUp and PageDown keys, or present the entire subfile in one HTML page and allow the browser's scroll bar to move through it. But even then you have to be careful, because presenting an entire subfile can wreak havoc with cursor positioning schemes. But that's a different topic for a different day . Another related issue is handling folded data. Moving to a browser often creates enough real estate that folds are not required; a good interface should allow you to remove the fold and place the entire subfile line on a single browser line. Joe

[David Abramowitz]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
I hope this does a better job than the (IMO) disappointing iseries access for the web. I'm a bit unclear if this will be a part of the iseries/access licensed program, or if it will be an add-on. Another point, is if there are any prerequisites. For example, Host Publisher is provided free of charge, but the rather prohibitive edition of Websphere is a prerequisite. Dave

[R.Daugherty]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
One thing I can guarantee as long as IBM is involved. Websphere will be required. All their eggs are in that basket. rd

[R.Daugherty]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
I consulted to a third party AS/400 web product company three years ago to help them create the apparently now defunct Jobs/400 site. My work was the database backend while the presentation was the third party product. After working with PHP recently, I now recognize at least the part that I used of the the third part product as a proprietary equivalent to the PHP parsing engine. The concept is repeated constantly in terms of JSP, etc. I just don't understand the notion of using green screens to generate web pages unless all this is perpetual talk about emulating a green screen emulator with a browser, which I know it isn't. It's no more appropriate than taking the green screen behind a retail counter and putting it out in the aisles in a kiosk with a browser. There has to be some presence of mind of who your audience is and what you're trying to accomplish. Ralph

[Guest.Visitor]

IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family

** This thread discusses the article: IBM to Put HATS on iSeries Access Family **
Ralph, Exactly why I just click on "delete" when I see any info from IBM regarding these types of products. chuck Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer. "Ralph Daugherty" wrote in message news:6ae662e8.4@WebX.WawyahGHajS... | One thing I can guarantee as long as IBM is involved. Websphere will be required. All their eggs are in that basket. | | rd