Dana Mitchell writes: >That's the rub, there isn't a readily accessable command line >available, a real 5250 emulator session is still required.
OK, if that's a concern stick the 5250 interface in a Host On-Demand session (for example) and plop that in your Web "portal." Or don't even do that. We have these things called PCs (and Macs) with user interfaces that support at least two windows, and Alt-Tab (or Command-Tab) is one way among many to toggle between them. Copy/paste seems to work, too. If an administrator has to run down the hall, past the water cooler, up six flights of stairs, across the factory floor, over a bridge, then down a rope ladder to get to the command line, then reverse the process to get to the Web/graphical user interface, that might be a problem, although it would promote physical fitness. I'm not aware of any operating systems which require that degree of effort or anything like it. Yes, I'm being facetious. More seriously, tell the vendor (IBM in this case) -- through the appropriate channels -- what functions are missing in the Web/graphical user interface that you'd like to see added. Quite often the vendor will add the functions so you don't have to Alt-Tab. For comparison -- and far worse when you think about it -- most automobiles have at least two ways of checking the oil level. One way is a binary readout, located on the dashboard. If the light is not illuminated, you have enough oil. If the light is illuminated, you don't. (I'm ignoring possible instrument failures.) The other way is to pull the hood (bonnet) release lever usually located inside the car, go to the front of the car (for front engine vehicles), pull the external hood release bar (which I can never remember how to do), lift the hood, unscrew the oil cap, remove the dipstick, clean the dipstick, insert the dipstick, remove the dipstick, and read the oil level.... Oh, sod it, I forgot my flashlight, and this synthetic stuff is the same color as the dipstick anyway. Add oil if required. Reinsert the dipstick, screw the oil cap, close the hood, and drive off, perhaps with miscellaneous engine parts falling behind you like breadcrumbs. The analog dipstick, if readable, is more precise than the dashboard indicator, but it's very hard to use the underhood user interface while the car is in motion. And you can't Alt-Tab or copy/paste between these two user interfaces on the same automobile. They also tell somewhat different stories. The indicator light may indicate problems getting oil into the engine in addition to oil level problems. It's a user interface design catastrophe, I tell you! Of course most drivers ignore the indicator light and wouldn't know how to check the oil level via the underhood interface, so it really doesn't matter. :-) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timothy Sipples Consulting Enterprise IT Architect (Based in Singapore) E-Mail: [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
