> -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Howard Brazee > Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 3:41 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: z/OS 1.9 Features summary > > > > > ><SNIP> > >But SDB came too late: if it had been present in rudimentary form, > >supplying a valid but nonoptimal BLKSIZE, in OS/360 release 1, coding > >BLKSIZE could always have been optional, and much of the rough > >transition to present techniques could have been avoided. > ><SNIP> > > It's amazing how hard it is to get shops to implement obvious > improvements. While CoBOL has BLKSIZE=0, lots of people don't use > AVGREC nor IF-THEN-ELSE-ENDIF even today.
I agree. I have overheard programmers complaining that they could figure out the number of cylinders needed for a give number of records. But they won't look at using the newer (but now quite old) allocation by number of records. That's because "I understand cylinders". > > We used to calculate out necessary SORTWORK for count-key devices. Now > we just throw more DASD at the job and don't waste our time trying to > be close. But we haven't used the tools provided enough to make the > old ways rare. > We implemented the ICEMAC to simply override the JCL sortwork and calculate the amount needed. The only time this fails is when we sort a file with is compressed using BMC's Data Accelerator product. Then the poor programmer just try to allocate 12 3390-3 volumes of sortwork and pray. -- John McKown Senior Systems Programmer HealthMarkets Keeping the Promise of Affordable Coverage Administrative Services Group Information Technology The information contained in this e-mail message may be privileged and/or confidential. It is for intended addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, reproduction, distribution or other use of this communication is strictly prohibited and could, in certain circumstances, be a criminal offense. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by reply and delete this message without copying or disclosing it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
