Love it .... :-) ...
"William H. Blair" <[email protected]> Sent by: "IBM Mainframe Discussion List" <[email protected]> 17/08/2010 09:32 PM Please respond to "IBM Mainframe Discussion List" <[email protected]> To [email protected] cc Subject Re: utility type program > What was the design objective of IEBGENER, anyway? Design objective? In 1965? They didn't have design objectives for utility programs then -- other than, perhaps, to run in 20KB (on a 32KB 360/30). How can a useless program have design objectives? It's already useless. You do know that utility programs do no useful work, right? When I first heard that claim, I took the bait. But I didn't like the answer, so I asked for an example of a program that did do something useful. The response was a square root subroutine. SQRT was useful because that was something that was hard to do, one frequently needed to do it, and nobody wanted to write the code to do it each time it was needed. Mathematical subroutine libraries were "useful." A utility program, in contrast, was therefore a program that did nothing useful. He did admit that, perhaps, a compiler was a useful program. Since then, I have mostly, but not exclusively, dedicated my life to writing what that particular Computer Science professor would have termed useless programs. I would have been bored to death writing useful programs. My career has, therefore, been happily wasted. -- WB ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html This e-mail message, including any attachments transmitted with it, is CONFIDENTIAL and may contain legally privileged information. This message is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and delete it from your system. Please visit our website to read the full disclaimer: http://www.euroclear.com/site/public/disclaimer
