On Wed, 3 Sep 2025 15:14:26 +0100, Jonathan Scott <jonathan.scott...@gmail.com> wrote:
> HLASM last had a new release in 2008, so perhaps those considerations > only applied to new releases. For HLASM, the listing and message texts > were not considered an intended programming interface Listings and messages have been programming interfaces for several decades but complete compliance is only enforced when there are complaints. IBM product groups are doing what is needed instead of blindly following the standards. Listings and messages as HLASM programming interfaces are unimportant to most customers. While your considerations did not follow IBM standards, you did it to avoid customer complaints. In theory, HLASM should be using SMP/e HOLD AO in their PTF's to be in compliance. In reality, HLASM using HOLD AO would be annoying because HLASM programming interfaces are irrelevant to automation. We'll let you know if they ever become relevant. SMP/e is closer to IBM standards. However, listings and messages as SMP/e programming interfaces are critical because they affect every IBM customer. Customers can be dealing with hundreds of thousands of lines in an SMP/e listing that includes messages, holds, utilities (iebcopy, HLASM, SPZAP, ...) and more. SMP/e listings are only manageable as programmable interface. But like HLASM, this programming interface is useless to automation.
