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To those who appreciate IBM arcana, this might
strike a chord. (And puzzle the snot out of
everybody else; oh well.)
It comes from a time when computing meant Big
Iron (ie., mainframes) and the 'Big Blue Way'
was just about the only way.
This is how it was done. System code,
old-school. But as far as I can see--and I can read it,
which rilly dates me-- it'd probably run just fine.
And wouldn't it be a kick if it did, hmmm? :- )
FB.
strike a chord. (And puzzle the snot out of
everybody else; oh well.)
It comes from a time when computing meant Big
Iron (ie., mainframes) and the 'Big Blue Way'
was just about the only way.
This is how it was done. System code,
old-school. But as far as I can see--and I can read it,
which rilly dates me-- it'd probably run just fine.
And wouldn't it be a kick if it did, hmmm? :- )
FB.
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1191 x 1416px
File Size 179.3 kB
In the face of IBM mainframe software environments, nobody was savvy, programmin'-wise.
But back in the day, the way you got work done was write junk like this. It told the OS
what software you wanted to run, what data you wanted to munch on, and what to do
with the results that got spat out. Or the error reports from all the bugs you created (if
you were trying to write software).
The language is called JCL: Job Control Language. User interface? What user interface?
You threw it at the OS and sorta prayed that everything ran right.
Several hundred other people might be submitting jobs at the same time as you, not
counting the system programs that might be running. IBM OS's were nothing if not
hardworking. And fiendishly complex.
Astonishingly, you could get work done, but glah, all the finicky rules. And all running
on hardware that, to be honest, could be out-muscled by the CPU in your average cheap
cellphone.
Ah, the good old days. Lemme add another meter of concrete on top, make sure they
can't claw their way back to the light. :- )
FB.
But back in the day, the way you got work done was write junk like this. It told the OS
what software you wanted to run, what data you wanted to munch on, and what to do
with the results that got spat out. Or the error reports from all the bugs you created (if
you were trying to write software).
The language is called JCL: Job Control Language. User interface? What user interface?
You threw it at the OS and sorta prayed that everything ran right.
Several hundred other people might be submitting jobs at the same time as you, not
counting the system programs that might be running. IBM OS's were nothing if not
hardworking. And fiendishly complex.
Astonishingly, you could get work done, but glah, all the finicky rules. And all running
on hardware that, to be honest, could be out-muscled by the CPU in your average cheap
cellphone.
Ah, the good old days. Lemme add another meter of concrete on top, make sure they
can't claw their way back to the light. :- )
FB.
Over and above a sort of historical value, I love the creativity of it,
Somebody who *really* knows IBM mainframe code was actually inspired to write
this. And it's perfectly good JCL, too. If God had a S/370 He could run that and
go off and have a cup of coffee or something.
Not as lyrical as the text of Genesis, but certainly more concise. Think most
programmers can appreciate.
(And will thank their stars that JCL's pretty much a dead language. :- ) )
FB.
●●●●●●●●●●
The FA Writers Directory v 1.0
Somebody who *really* knows IBM mainframe code was actually inspired to write
this. And it's perfectly good JCL, too. If God had a S/370 He could run that and
go off and have a cup of coffee or something.
Not as lyrical as the text of Genesis, but certainly more concise. Think most
programmers can appreciate.
(And will thank their stars that JCL's pretty much a dead language. :- ) )
FB.
●●●●●●●●●●
The FA Writers Directory v 1.0
Ditto. Tempted to find out who wrote it. May take some work; Google doesn't
know about it.
Gotta admire the creativity. And the humour. "...Keep his mitts out of the microcode"
indeed. (And who but true computer geeks are gonna even know what microcode is? :- ) )
A gem, I say, from a different age. No less a gem for that. *
fwbrown61* And like all software there's a bug. Or at least a typo.
Anybody spot it? :- )
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