This past April, I hosted a webinar for System iNetwork titled "Editing in WDSc." I was very encouraged by the number of participants; almost 440 people registered and about 300 actually logged on and listened to me for an hour — what troopers!

At the end of the session, we were swamped with questions — a good thing with a webinar because it indicates people are interested in the subject matter. Or, it means the presenter was really, really bad and couldn't get anything across to the attendees. For my sake, I hope it is the former and that there is real interest in WebSphere Development Studio Client (WDSc) from the i5 community.

Two key questions about WDSc came up again and again. It is clear to me that for those out in the trenches, these two areas need some attention.

How Do I Get WDSc?

WDSc is part of IBM's WebSphere Development Studio for iSeries (licensed program 5722-WDS). WDSc is a client-based program that is installed on your PC. So, you don't technically "run" WDSc from the i5.

If you order a new release of i5/OS (and therefore 5722-WDS), then you get a copy of WDSc with the release media. If you already have 5722-WDS and a software subscription or maintenance agreement, you can get the latest version of WDSc by ordering a refresh of 5722-WDS through your business partner. For V7 there is also a new way to get WDSc — an IBM site, located at ibm.com/software/awdtools/wdt400/about/entitlements.html, where you can download WDSc, along with other i5/OS software you are entitled to.

So, the standard edition of WDSc is free with 5722-WDS, and you can install it on as many PCs as you need. That means there should be little cost to get started with WDSc (I say "little" because you may have to upgrade your PC if it doesn't meet WDSc's client requirements). Also remember that for the best performance results, you'll need lots of memory.

With WDSc, you can edit source, compile, and debug all from the PC when connected to an i5 server. And you can take your source offline from the i5, then edit and verify the code. You'll only need to connect to the i5 to compile, debug (yeah, like you ever need that feature!), and synchronize the source with your i5.

Can I Install WDSc V7 Before Uninstalling a Prior Version?

Absolutely — if you use the Remote System Explorer (RSE)! V7 installs in a new directory and leaves your prior versions alone, though you can share the workspace. So yes, that means you need extra disk space, but there is a great advantage in that you can run V7 as prior versions until you are ready to work only with V7. One thing to note: If you use WebFacing, HATS, web development, or Java development, you'll need to migrate your workspaces to V7 — it's not recommended that you open the same workspace in prior versions.

A word of caution: The standard edition of version 7 does not contain the screen designer tool as prior versions did. IBM has elected to move the screen design aid (SDA) and a few other features to the Advanced Edition (AE) of WDSc, so you'll have to pay to get those features now.

I don't care much about the other features in the AE of WDSc, but I sure would like to use the newly upgraded screen design aid. Comparing this tool with SDA in PDM is like comparing my Dallas Cowboys against a high school football team. And I mean the old Cowboys with Aikmen, Smith, and Moose. The new screen design tool in version 7 rocks, but it's just too expensive as a per-seat license. IBM needs to break out and allow us to pay for the features separately that they've bundled in the AE.

Keep the questions on WDSc coming! We need to get more folks using it in the trenches.

Jef Sutherland is a System iNEWS technical editor and vice president of information services for Kampgrounds of America, Inc., in Billings, Montana. You can e-mail Jef at jsutherland@SystemiNetwork.com.