I am afraid this new "Continuous Update" may lead to the same thing.
On Fri, Jun 23, 2017 at 6:41 AM, Bill Wilkie <[email protected]> wrote: > As I am reading this, all I can think of is Windows 10 and Automatic > updates. Since accidentally going to Windows 10, I have crashed my laptop > at least 10 times and spent many days and a lot of money trying to recover. > Be careful what you wish for. > > > Bill > > > ________________________________ > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> on behalf > of Edward Gould <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, June 23, 2017 3:12 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Eliminating the systems programmer was Re: IBM cuts > contractor billing by 15 percent (our else) > > > On Jun 22, 2017, at 6:50 PM, Clark Morris <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> ————————————__SNIP------------------------------------------ > ------------ > > > > If the goal was to eliminate the need for highly technical people who > > understand the platform and the tradeoffs, that is a futile goal for > > any operating system. If the goal is to eliminate the need for > > assembler coded exits, this is more doable but customization will > > always be with us. While there can be plenty of obscurity in > > assembler, how well documented are the SYS1.PARMLIB members and JES > > initialization decks that control how the systems operate? These are > > just weird programming interfaces that can be every bit as cryptic. > > > > As someone who did his last systems programming in the 1990s, I would > > hope that systems maintenance and upgrade has become a lot easier (and > > if IBM made the Knowledge Center and Shopz 24/365.24 available) and > > that less custom code is required because of all the new concerns that > > I didn't have to deal with. The environment has become more complex > > for all of the operating systems so anything that can be eliminated is > > to the good. There is enough to do so that automation of some of the > > grunt work is a good thing. > > > > Clark Morris > > Clark, > > The instructor just said systems programmers. I will agree with you on the > exits and assembler though. > Having said that I just cannot see a non assembler person going through > system dumps. The needed CB structure and to decode machine language and > understand what each instruction is attempting to do is just impossible (to > me)to expect of an average COBOL programmer. Also having said that as long > as IBM is as cryptic as some of their messages can be *AND* trying to > understand in context what the return code is sort of indicating would be > daunting to and programmer type, IMO. AT least they got rid of “call your > local system programmer” explanations in the M&C. > As long as I semi brought up SERVPAC, IBM needlessly (IMO) complicated the > install process. In my opinion CBIPO and CBPDO were pretty much as good as > it is going to get. IBM should have kept the level of the base better up to > date, was the only issue I had. It would have cut down on the Apply’s. > Yes there are pluses for sevrpac but you stilll need to know a bit about > SMPE. Given that SMPE is the standard for installation of maintenance I > really don’t see SERVPAC being all that helpful. I know when I tried a > couple of SERVPACs they were ugly and could be screwed up easily. The > German support was less than typical IBM support. > I got the feeling that (at least according to IBM) that customers > complained about the cost of system programmers. > Ed > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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 > -- The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent Mainline’s positions or opinions Mark D Pace Senior Systems Engineer Mainline Information Systems ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
