Re:I don't think I'll bother learning JCL, then

[Carlos Feldman]

Roger,

I think you've lost the timeframe.

JCL was a real breaktroug in the 60's when few machines had more than 512 Kb of main memory, and lots of them used 64 k and even 16k, with CPU cycle times were in the order of microseconds.

That JCL allowed users to run operating system commands, assemblers and higl level languages like Fortran, PL/I, or Cobol ( by the way all of them still run )

JCL dynamic file assignation is really close to what operating system really do, not to mention their relationship with real devices whan ussing assembly language.

This language allowed to dynamicaly change input and input streams for the same program ( actually a job ) so you can test it with punched cards, use tape drives and in more recent systems, disk drives. al of that was inherited by unix, DOS, XP and other systems.

JCL was designed originally for card readers and teletypes, keep that in mind, but was powerfull enough to survive for half a century doing productive job.

Bigger and newer systems has a conversational approach, like DOS or CMS, but they are still based on good old jcl.

In the 70's was also developed REXX a really powerfull scripting language that in today's encarnation is object oriented.

During 60's some canadian universities adapted some IBM's to the student's environment with MUSIC/Sp as a conversational environment or Watfor Fortran or Watbol Cobol, not to mention the widespread Watcom C.

So if you want to have an easier and assisted learning environment, I suggest you using Music/sp as a learning an programing tool.

Karl

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[laddiehanus-2]

--- In hercules-390@..., "Carlos Feldman" <carlfeld@...> wrote:
>
> Roger,
>
> I think you've lost the timeframe.
>
SNIP..............
>
> So if you want to have an easier and assisted learning environment, I suggest you using Music/sp as a learning an programing tool.
>
> Karl
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Er. Do you know who Roger is? (Hint: look at www.Hercules-390.org and read the line "Hercules was created by")

[kerravon86]

--- In hercules-390@..., "Carlos Feldman" <carlfeld@...> wrote:
>
> So if you want to have an easier and assisted learning
> environment, I suggest you using Music/sp as a learning
> an programing tool.

And Roger, I am in the process of updating MUSIC/SP
to create MUSIC/380. As well as updated assembler
macros (sort of thing of interest to programmers),
I have created some Windows batch files, to make it
easier to do things like start MUSIC automatically
(no need to learn how to use the "ipl" command,
which can be confusing to new people who don't know
what "ipl" means - for your information, "ipl"
means "initial program load", but don't worry about
that at this stage).

So anyway, let me know if you need help with getting
started.

BFN.  Paul.

P.S. The Windows batch files can be setup as an
icon on your desktop if you're not familiar with
using the command line either.