To address a few questions scattered in this thread... According to the current TIOBE Index (June, 2024), an attempt to rank the popularity of programming languages, Python is #1. But wherever you rank it, Python is at least reasonably popular. Inclusion of popular programming languages in the base z/OS operating system, with IBM support, is surely a welcome development. Whether you personally choose to use Python or not is up to you. And nothing is taken away. If you prefer another programming language, no problem.
Someone asked about whether and how Python can interact with various z/OS functions. It?s not a coincidence that the IBM Z Open Automation Utilities ? also now no additional charge with IBM support ? include(s) a Python language pack. See here for details: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zoau/1.3.x?topic=python-apis ?Bypassable requisite? means the product is included but can be skipped if you insist. Quoting Marna Walle: ?New z/OS 3.1 orders in Shopz will include these bypassable requisite offerings so that they can be ordered to arrive in a deployable aggregated package to streamline the deployment experience. Existing z/OS installations can consider ordering these offerings as separate deployable packages as usual.? I?d replace ?can consider? with ?should.? :-) Now?s a great time to upgrade to z/OS 3.1 if you haven?t already, but these products are available for z/OS 2.4(*) and z/OS 2.5, too. With IBM support at no additional charge. Let?s suppose you?re a software vendor, and you?d like to use Python (and ZOAU Python APIs) in your product?s next release. You can now rely on the fact that every z/OS licensee with z/OS 2.4 or higher is entitled to the IBM SDK for Python and IBM ZOAU, and with the same IBM support services they get with their base z/OS operating system license. You can?t assume that Python and ZOAU are installed and configured, but IBM has removed all the impediments (excuses?) IBM can remove. Python and ZOAU aren?t any different in this respect from myriad other z/OS operating system functions, components, and resources. Presumably you?d document your product?s prerequisites (examples: Python, ZOAU, ICSF, PDS/E data sets of certain sizes, an ?open? IP port, and so forth), your customer installs and configures at least the minimum z/OS features/settings to run your product, and that?s that. (*) Except for the IBM Open Enterprise Foundation for z/OS which requires z/OS 2.5 or higher. ????? Timothy Sipples Senior Architect Digital Assets, Industry Solutions, and Cybersecurity IBM Z/LinuxONE, Asia-Pacific [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
