As the OP of the other thread on python documentation, let me answer that what
I expected from IBM for python documentation was the same sort of Language
Reference and Programmers Guide manuals as they provide for all of the other
major programming languages that they support. My understanding at the moment
is that that hasn't been done and is not likely to be done.
Where, for instance, in the documentation that you linked to is there
information on whether the python "open()" function for files will or will not
support direct access to MVS datasets without transferring them down to the
Unix file system? I.E., are either of these calls to the open() function
valid or not:
Myfile = open("//'MVS.DATA.SET.NAME", "rt", ccsid="1047")
Myfile = open("//:DDNAME", "rt", ccsid="1047") # This of course assumes that a
call to "bpxunix" (or by other means) has been used to establish a DD
allocation in the AS where the python program is executing
In other words, where are the z/OS-specific enhancements to the standard python
functions and libraries documented (assuming there are any such enhancements,
which I am beginning to doubt)? For other IBM-supported programming languages,
that information would probably be available in the Language Reference manual
and practical examples and performance-enhancing advice would be provided in
the Programmers Guide manual.
The first link that you provided is fine for the systems programmer who
installs the language on z/OS, but has basically nothing relevant for the
python application programmer.
The "zoautil_py" library does provide some "direct access" to MVS datasets for
python programs, but the package is quite "heavyweight" and consumes a large
amount of elapsed and CPU time to use, as recent experimentation I have
performed clearly showed. I found that downloading an MVS dataset to the Unix
file system with the "zowe" CLI interface and accessing that file with "normal"
python file access functions proved far less expensive than using the
"zoautil_py" functions to access the same data. Nowhere in the IBM-provided
ZOAU documentation did I find any reference to performance characteristics or
performance-enhancing advice.
That separate python libraries for z/OS maintain separate python documentation
of their functionality is OK, but then the IBM-specific library websites need
to provide the same sort of automatic linking to the library documentation that
the standard python documentation websites use. I.E., the IBM-specific
libraries need to have their documentation directly available on the
"<library-name>.readthedocs.io" website and linked to from their specific page
on the Pypi indexing website and not just at their github location.
ISTM that IBM is a day late and a dollar short on application-level
documentation for this language on their systems.
Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of
David Crayford
Sent: Saturday, October 1, 2022 9:35 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: IBM SMF Export with Python
On 2/10/22 01:31, Charles Mills wrote:
> We LOVE Python.
>
> When is IBM going to love it enough to ship it and document it as though they
> loved it?
You can order Python via zShop and install it via SMP/E or download a pax file.
That's choice right there.
What's wrong with the doc? https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/python-zos/3.10 has all
the information I need to install, customize and build extensions.
For z/OS specific Python libraries the doc is either shipped with the product
so as ZAOU or for open source projects with the code in a repository. For
example, the Python DB2 library and doc can be found on Github
https://github.com/ibmdb/python-ibmdb . z/OS specific doc here
https://github.com/ibmdb/node-ibm_db*configure-odbc-driver-on-zos . This is
standard for any open source project. I understand that may be uncomfortable to
folks that have no experience working with open source.
Another example is https://github.com/ambitus/pyzkiln which is maintained by
IBMers from Poughkeepsie but part of the OMP. Anybody interested in writing
Python libraries that include calling HLASM should take a look at that repo.
Honestly, I don't see what the issue is with doc? It's no different to Java. If
I need doc for the JRE I read the Oracle doc. If I need doc for Python I head
on over to the Python doc. Everything I need for z/OS is covered.
>
> (Rhetorical question. I know that David does not know the answer.)
>
> Charles
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]]
> On Behalf Of David Crayford
> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2022 11:09 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: IBM SMF Export with Python
>
> I know Python is not well received on this forum but as an example of
> IBMs investment they have announced a new Python toolkit to process
> SMF data using Jupyter notesbooks, an industry standard visualization
> tool for analytics and machine learning. I understand many people
> consider this stuff buzz words and fads but if you dig in a bit it's very
> cool.
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://zos-hot-topics.com/2022/SMF-Explor
> er/__;!!Ebr-cpPeAnfNniQ8HSAI-g_K5b7VKg!MOPAkGKkKJZy2370bbp_YxYtD_tyt93
> x3LCeTXq7oDQMU30Ek0NS5KXliytjmf7z0s0cSc5sVoDMlT8NCCU5Lyk$
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