# Solved: As400



## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

Hey,

I was hoping someone could help me with a bit of trivia. Could anyone tell me what the AS in AS400 stands for? It's a standing question in my RPG programming class and I'd love to be the one who comes up with an answer.

Thanks for any help.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

Application System. Of course you could have Google Searched to figure that one out. But I just asked our Mainframe Engineers here. But I found it on Google just to double check their answer.


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## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

Thanks a lot for the reply. I actually had Googled it, but was given more history orientated comments and was not able to find this specifically.

It is interesting to hear the guys in class grabbing at straws on this. I have heard; Automated Systems, Automatic Systems, Algorithmic Systems, Administration Systems, Advanced Systems, even Attenuated Systems. I have not yet heard Application Systems though.. it goes to show programmers don't always like to take the easy way.

Thanks again!


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

I Google searched for "AS/400 acronym" and the first link Google gave me was the answer.


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## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

That's probably the problem. I didn't put the "/" in AS/400 when I searched.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

DaBeers said:


> That's probably the problem. I didn't put the "/" in AS/400 when I searched.


Nope. Google still gave me the same link as the first result. I assume you didn't use the word acronym.


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## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

true, true


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

So did you get extra credit for answering it correctly. I didn't even know they still taught RPG in any schools.


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## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

Not sure if it's extra credit, or points towards my next test, but he told me to keep it quite so others could keep looking. 

I'm working out of RPG IV Third Edition(isbn 1-58304-094-3) and the Fourth Edition is due to be introduced next fall, so it's alive here(La Crosse Wi)... at least for a while longer.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

Nice to see another Wisconsinite around here. I have been told that Shopko still uses RPG with many of their apps. My cousin use to program for them.


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## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

We have several large companys (Trane, Chart, Gundersen Lutheran for examples) who still use it, which (I'm sure) is why it's still offered.

The instructor keeps talking about "nano second responce times", which rarely seems to be the case, at least on the school system(486 perhaps LOL). I'm pretty sure is the it's a case of, "they don't know what else is available", or, "they don't want to pony up $$ to make the changes". The class seems pretty easy so if it help me get a job, I'll sit through it. Admittedly I'm not taking it as seriously as I could though.

I thought you might like to know I got 12 points for answering this stupid trivia question, which is the equivilant of a regular assignment. Incidentally, he would have also taken, "Advanced Systems", which I thought was already mentioned in class.

Thanks again for the help. It's was worth more than I thought it was.


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## AKAJohnDoe (Jun 6, 2007)

I took an RPG class back in the 1970's and actually programmed a System 3/Mod 10 using RPG II for a few months back then. Here's another acronymn for you: MFCU. I was working for IBM when the AS/400 was announced, replacing the System/38, but my SE specialties were MF and AE.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

AKAJohnDoe said:


> I took an RPG class back in the 1970's and actually programmed a System 3/Mod 10 using RPG II for a few months back then. Here's another acronymn for you: MFCU. I was working for IBM when the AS/400 was announced, replacing the System/38, but my SE specialties were MF and AE.


Now you are showing your age!
Let me ask you this. Did you ever drop a stack of cards?


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## AKAJohnDoe (Jun 6, 2007)

Indeed I did.

And I have wired boards, too, if you know what that means.

I actually do miss assembler and REXX ... sigh. SMP, too.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

I passed on the assembler class. I had a chance to take it back in 94' because they still taught it as an elective and was no longer a required class. The following year they dropped it completely from the program.


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## AKAJohnDoe (Jun 6, 2007)

I know about 8 programming languages well enough to code without a manual and another dozen with a reference manual. And that is not counting dialects. None of them have hurt me. 

Life is not about the answers; it is about the questions.


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## SDFOX 7 (Apr 29, 2007)

> We have several large companys (Trane, Chart, Gundersen Lutheran for examples) who still use it, which (I'm sure) is why it's still offered.


United Parcel Service still uses it. Although I believe our version is called "Personal Communications". To me it looks exactly like the AS/400. The final revision date it shows is 1994. It's a very DOS-like system with yellow, green, red, and teal characters. We use it for our COMPASS and TFCS systems which is used to forecast information about inbound and outbound loads, aircraft, etc.

It looks older than dirt, but hey if it gets the job done...

I cannot post a picture of it but looks similar to this Cisco link:

http://www.cisco.com/image/gif/paws/16398/as400_1.gif


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## AKAJohnDoe (Jun 6, 2007)

There's quite a few AS/400's in retail POS (that's _Point of Sale_) system use.


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## DaBeers (Oct 31, 2008)

> United Parcel Service still uses it. Although I believe our version is called "Personal Communications". To me it looks exactly like the AS/400. The final revision date it shows is 1994. It's a very DOS-like system with yellow, green, red, and teal characters. We use it for our COMPASS and TFCS systems which is used to forecast information about inbound and outbound loads, aircraft, etc.
> 
> It looks older than dirt, but hey if it gets the job done...
> 
> ...


As far as I can tell, AS/400 is IBM proprietary. I'd imagine it would take a large chunk of change to make it happen, but it is completely possible it's AS/400. It could also be that it's just a C++ program running on OS/400.

If you can, look into it and let me know what you find out. I would be interested to hear if they sell varience licences, or make the code open to some developement.


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## AKAJohnDoe (Jun 6, 2007)

Personal Communications is probably an LU6 (SNA/APPC) connection from one machine to another.


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## SDFOX 7 (Apr 29, 2007)

> As far as I can tell, AS/400 is IBM proprietary. I'd imagine it would take a large chunk of change to make it happen, but it is completely possible it's AS/400. It could also be that it's just a C++ program running on OS/400.


It is certainly possible that this is the case; since both products are manufactured by IBM--maybe they just ripped the interface off the AS/400 and called it "Personal Communications".

Regardless, at UPS it is internally referred to as the AS/400. The program icon says "tn3270"--I am not sure what this means.


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## SDFOX 7 (Apr 29, 2007)

> As far as I can tell, AS/400 is IBM proprietary. I'd imagine it would take a large chunk of change to make it happen, but it is completely possible it's AS/400. It could also be that it's just a C++ program running on OS/400.


It is certainly possible that this is the case; since both products are manufactured by IBM--maybe they just ripped the interface off the AS/400 and called it "Personal Communications".

Regardless, at UPS it is internally referred to as the AS/400. The program icon says "tn3270"--I am not sure what this means.


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## TheOutcaste (Aug 8, 2007)

SDFOX 7 said:


> The program icon says "tn3270"--I am not sure what this means.


*T*el*n*et 3270 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet_3270

Just refers to the protocol used to talk to the mainframe.


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## AKAJohnDoe (Jun 6, 2007)

OMG! It's PCOMM! Sherman, set the wayback machine!


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