On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:01:58 -0700, Steve Comstock wrote: >> >> And I might mention that DUMMY is __required__. We had some jobs that >> ran with SYSIN being a DD *, but with no control cards. This is, >> technically, equivalent to DUMMY, but not by ICEGENER. The same applies >> to an "empty" dataset with no control cards. Just mentioning this >> because it bit us once. > >Well, that's not just for sorts and utilities; >A DD * with no lines is _not_ the same as DD DUMMY. >There are differences in allocation, for example. > Can you expand on this (or am I requesting too much a freebie)?
But (open message to designers): No! KISS dammit! OPEN SYSIN; QSAM GET until you come to the end; then CLOSE. Treat all empty data sets alike. Don't go poking around UCBs and JFCBs and TIOTs and ... to make an arbitrary distinction between an empty DUMMY data set, and an empty instream data set, and an empty DASD data set, and an empty allocated Unix path, and an empty tape data set, and an empty (virtual) card reader data set, and an empty terminal data set. Treat them all alike; to do otherwise only adds an unwarranted astonishment factor. I'll grant some leeway that the error recovery for a terminal data set is justifiably different from that for a noninteractive data set. -- gil ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
