----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Smith III" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2021 8:08 AM
A friend writes:
In a conversation elsewhere I mentioned the oops between JCL using /* as end
of dataset and PL/I using /* */ for comment brackets - meaning that PL/I had
to start in column 2 to prevent a comment from being interpreted as JCL.
PL/I source program could start between card columns 1 and 80, as we did on our
site.
IBM had set up some catalogue procedures to use only card columns 2 to 72.
We changed that.
All the programmer needed to do was to avoid starting a comment in card column
1.
As for the PL/I SSP, we converted the card images from 48-character set to the
64-character set.
At the same time, we removed the card numbers in card columns 73 to 80, and
inserted
card numbers within a comment starting in card column 73 and finishing at card
column 80.
Oopsie. Does anyone remember which came first? There was some rumor that I
no longer remember that one group didn't like the other group so some of
this done on purpose.
I've never heard this, which proves nothing much, but leads me to ask:
anyone else here ever heard it? I'd've guessed JCL came first, since PL/I
was still in development as of December 1964 per the Wikipedia page. But
this is the right place to get some answers (or at least opinions)!
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