I would say that "inertia" is PL/X's raison d'etre (even though that statement is probably controversial within the internal IBM Z development community).
I will acknowledge that PL/X is excellent at integrating HLASM code. GCC style inlining isn't terrible for including HLASM code but it is more painful. I think the reason that PL/X was initially used is because it was the best we had at the time. The reason it is STILL used is because it's too dangerous/difficult to switch. I really don't know why it was never truly externalized (that decision predates my time at IBM) but I could speculate that someone thought it gave IBM some competitive advantage. I don't see it that way, but again, just speculation. Eric Rossman -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Kirk Wolf Sent: Monday, October 2, 2023 2:55 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: PL/X Open Source and PL/I - Helping to save the world and cut CPU Cycles and electricity Eric, I'm curious - wouldn't you say that PL/X integration with assembler and assembler macros is it's raison d'etre? Even though I've done all sorts of integration of assembler with C/C++ (the GCC-style inlining, xplink assembler leaf routines, EDCDSECT conversion of DSECTs, etc, etc), which all work, they are still painful compared with PL/X and assembler. Kirk Wolf Dovetailed Technologies http:// <http://dovetail.com >coztoolkit.com On Mon, Oct 2, 2023, at 12:02 PM, Eric D Rossman wrote: > I write PL/X daily. PL/X, on the average, is not really better than C > in terms of what you describe except when the string's length is known > in advance (which is hard or impossible in many circumstances > > Don't get me wrong, it has a number of strengths as compared to C, but it > also is too close to "the metal" in some ways which would hamper it. > > As for copying byte at a time, that is not a function of C (i.e. not > specified in the standard). It's usually a function of the complier > (sometimes deferred to the runtime libraries) and many of them can use > benefits of the instructions built into the hardware to speed things up as > well as general purpose things like copying DWORDs at a time with small > unrolled loops on either end to handle "extra" > > Eric Rossman > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On > Behalf Of Clem Clarke > Sent: Monday, October 2, 2023 9:03 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: PL/X Open Source and PL/I - Helping to save > the world and cut CPU Cycles and electricity > > What would it take for IBM to Open Source the Windows and Linux version of > PL/I and PL/X? > > Why? To potentially make the Internet faster and safer. How? > > We know that C searches for a byte with a binary zero to find how long a > string is. This takes time. And then it take time to copy a string > elsewhere, especially if it is done a byte at a time (often true, depending > on the C compiler - some do a word at a time). > > PL/I, Pascal and even Assembler know how long a string is. They don't have > to waste cycle looking for the length of a string. Most of the time, they > know how long the receiving string is, and won't go past the end, as C will. > > IBM still has the "authority" to do this. And it morally should. > > Just do it, IBM. Help save the planet. > > Clem Clarke > > > > > > Wayne Bickerdike wrote: > > So many acronyms. > > I've Been Married > > I've Been Moved > > It's Better Manual > > I Broke Microcode > > > > etc.. > > > > On Mon, Oct 2, 2023 at 4:17 AM David Spiegel < > > [email protected]> wrote: > > > >> Hi Peter, > >> I was generalizing the problem. Allowing access to PL/xxxx wouyld > >> also solve the lack of PDFs. > >> > >> This reminds me of a joke. > >> Q: What does IBM Stand for? > >> A: Ich Bin M'shugoh > >> > >> Regards, > >> David > >> > >> On 2023-09-30 08:18, Peter Relson wrote: > >>>> There is another solution > >>> What are you thinking the "problem" is for which you mention a > >> "solution"? The first post I saw was asking about PDF's, not about > >> access to PL/X. Was there a post that did not show up in the daily > >> digest? The "access-to-PL/X ship" sailed long ago. > >>> Peter Relson > >>> z/OS Core Technology Design > >>> > >>> > >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------ > >>> -- > >>> -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > >>> send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO > >>> IBM-MAIN > >> ------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> -- > >> - For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > >> send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO > >> IBM-MAIN > >> > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send > email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send > email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
