On 01/14/2015 06:33 PM, Dan wrote: > I have a strange memory of a previous thread about ISPF PACKing (probably pre > 1995). > > I seem to recall someone from IBM (in the ISPF area) posting a query about > the use of the ISPF PACK option. I believe they were hoping to remove the > function. > I've searched the archives but can't seem to find anything. > My recollection of the thread was that IBM wanted to remove the capability of > turning ON packing but any member that was already packed would remain packed > (unless the user requested PACK OFF). As PACK is still an option that can be > enabled someone must have made a strong enough argument to keep the function > (although I don't see why). > > Does anyone else recall that discussion or was I dreaming? :D > If you do recall it, why was it not crippled? > > Thanks, > Dan D. >
I also recall a discussion of this topic with IBMers involved, but it's been too long to remember the context. Perhaps it might have been a query raised by an IBMer at some SHARE Free For All session rather than an on-line thread. I remember being one who indicated eliminating PACK would have caused our installation some problems at the time. We were using PACK for long-term storage of source code in PDS libraries, some of which would have been too large for the single-volume PDS limit without PACK. At the time it would have been a non-trivial task to go to larger 3390 emulated volumes or to logically divide the large libraries into smaller ones. I think the idea behind the question was an assumption that cheap DASD had eliminated the motivation for PACK, or that somehow the hardware compression feature could be used as a replacement; but data set size constraints had not been fully considered and at the time hardware compression was more CP-intensive and also unsupported for PDS/PDSE data sets. If a PDSE library could have been multi-volume, that might have been one path to eliminate our requirement for PACK. -- Joel C. Ewing, Bentonville, AR [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
