AS400 Help

[Saturn_Fan]

Hi Guys,

My wife is starting a new job soon and they said they want to teach her to run AS400.

First of all, what the heck is AS400? I know it is some sort of DOS looking no GUI IBM operating system and that's about it. My wife said she used something similar at her other job, but they didn't call it AS400. She worked at a medical billing office where the software being used controlled by using function keys and there was no use of a mouse.
I feel dumb asking, but I want to help the wife know what she is in for.

I figure OVERK1LL and others can offer some help here.

Thanks!

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

The platform IBM originally used to sell/use their DB2 database sofware on. It's 100% character based GUI, get used to using the "F" keys.

Some companies make a screen-scraping program to allow a Windows GUI version, but it's really nothing more than a glorified terminal session for the keyboard-challenged.

It's really not a bad system, but technology-wise, it is well on it's way out the door.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Thanks TnS. I thought you might be able to chime in on this as well. I heard one of the main benefits of it use it that it's easy on resources. Doesn't tax CPUs, memory, etc., but it does seem and look very old school from the screen shots I viewed.

Thanks again,

 

[OVERKILL]

It's incredibly old-school. I imagine it is being used to support some archaic software they refuse to migrate away from......

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Just curious, is the software from JD Edwards?

 

[CivicFan]

AS 400. That IS old school. Not a bad device, though.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Excellent hdwr. for it's day. It started out life in the early 80's as System III.... (Umm, maybe late 70's. It's been a long time ago).

I was supposed to get trained on it (S/3) when it first came out, but an A$$ kisser mgmnt. trainee grabbed the slot.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

by using function keys and there was no use of a mouse.

Well, it is no surprise to American business that the Windowed environment was the death of office productivity. The previous company I worked for ran an MRP system thru telnet sessions to a SunOS server; the data entry and production control people pecked away at the keyboards even tho they were 5 menus ahead of the computer; the type ahead buffer did the rest.

Even where I work now, 3270 IBM terminals are found all over.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a UI that requires switching from mouse to keyboard; it is awkward and unproductive; It also requires people to work @ the speed @ which things are presented to the user.... REALLY DUMB.

 

[xlt4me]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
...It's 100% character based GUI,...


Isn't That an oxymoron?

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

by using function keys and there was no use of a mouse.

Well, it is no surprise to American business that the Windowed environment was the death of office productivity. The previous company I worked for ran an MRP system thru telnet sessions to a SunOS server; the data entry and production control people pecked away at the keyboards even tho they were 5 menus ahead of the computer; the type ahead buffer did the rest.

Even where I work now, 3270 IBM terminals are found all over.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a UI that requires switching from mouse to keyboard; it is awkward and unproductive; It also requires people to work @ the speed @ which things are presented to the user.... REALLY DUMB.


I'd be lost without a warm and fuzzy GUI and a mouse!