2. JCL may be a PITA to learn, but it's a fundamental building block for
the whole OS. Everything started in OS390 begins with JCL or it's
internal equivalent, including CICS, TSO users, etc. Because work is
structured this way (or perhaps I should say structured at all), not
only can batch and on-line systems peacefully coexist, but the whole
thing can be - and is - orchestrated. The OS can also be tightly or
loosely coupled with other machines, so there is no upper limit on
"machine" size. The whole thing really is amazing from the system
programmer's point of view.
Which is why I was NEVER tempted to be a system programmer!!! I had no
problem with System programmers making twice what we applications
programmers made -- it was such a royal PIA to be one...
That's why I LOVE VFP -- it's still the best RAD applications
development environment around... and why I HATE Windows (and probably
wouldn't have a hell of a lot of fun with Linux either -- I hate system
programming!!)
An operating system should just WORK around my needs instead of forcing
ME to work around it's needs...
But, it's largely moot thanks to my retirement!!
Cheers;
Chet
Bill Arnold wrote:
IBM, on the other hand, had teams of 100's of programmers writing the
clunky, innefficient OS that their machines were saddled with. IBM's
OS/mainframe combinations didn't catch up to the processing efficiency
of the 1950's vintage Bourroughs until the 4300 series in the early
1980's -- but even then the IBM's were still crippled by that DAMNED,
IMPENETRABLE, EXCREBLE OS JCL (Job Control Language)!!!!
I do appreciate what you're saying, Chet, but there are some points to
be made:
1. IBM planned the OS so well that it has been used and extended for
generations now. Even assembler code written for the very first 360
ported forward. MVC was MVC from the beginning, is now, and will always
will be MVC. Yes, SVC's and access methods (e.g. VSAM, VTAM) were added,
but that's fine - as it was designed to be. It is burdened by a large
amount of old code kept there for compatibility, but it's manageable.
2. JCL may be a PITA to learn, but it's a fundamental building block for
the whole OS. Everything started in OS390 begins with JCL or it's
internal equivalent, including CICS, TSO users, etc. Because work is
structured this way (or perhaps I should say structured at all), not
only can batch and on-line systems peacefully coexist, but the whole
thing can be - and is - orchestrated. The OS can also be tightly or
loosely coupled with other machines, so there is no upper limit on
"machine" size. The whole thing really is amazing from the system
programmer's point of view.
Bill
Just a little history for you youngsters...
C
[excessive quoting removed by server]
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