> -----Original Message-----
> From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List 
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Paul Gilmartin
> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 8:05 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: JCL (was: IEBPTPCH questions)
> 
> On Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:40:22 -0500, McKown, John wrote:
> >
> >As an example of trying to get programmers to do a minor 
> change, at another shop, we used CA-JCLCHECK. I made it flag 
> accepted but obsolete parameters, such as SEP=. The amount of 
> screams from some of the programmers was deafening. I 
> literally got told by one "I've been coding that for 25 g-d 
> damn years and I'll be damned if I'm going to stop now. Turn 
> the <redacted> message off or I'll <redacted> out your <redacted>."
> >
> The consequence/alternative is that as such experts in
> obsolete arcana age out they're irreplacable.  Newcomers elect
> to learn friendlier languages.  And IT executives consider this
> in making system purchase decisions.  You've discussed the
> consequence repeatedly.

<soapbox type="flamebait">
I agree. The problem is a type of inertia. We've even noticed it here with some 
who seem to get upset when I suggest a z/UNIX alternative solution. Case in 
point, the fact that __I__ prefer a z/UNIX shell environment to TSO (note that 
I didn't mention ISPF!). I got reamed royally by one person. Who felt that I 
should realize that editing/saving/running a REXX program in an ISPF 
environment is much better than using a shell script at a z/UNIX shell prompt. 
And, I guess implicitly, how it is much better to create a number of 
intermediate datasets to pass data between commands, rather than piping the 
output of one directly into the input of another. If I really need to keep the 
intermediate data, it is simple by simply inserting a "tee" command. E.g. from 
"pgm1 | pgm2" to "pgm1 | tee pgm1.output | pgm2". I will agree that doing it 
this way cost more CPU to perhaps get a given result. Assuming that my time, 
effort, and the number of iterations required to get the correct result !
 are similar.

IMO, Linux has been a revigoring influence for UNIX (as alternative to 
MS-Windows). Too bad there is no such thing for z/OS.
</soapbox>

-- 
John McKown 
Systems Engineer IV
IT

Administrative Services Group

HealthMarkets(r)

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