> > > > > You and I have diametrically opposed perspectives of "compatibility". > To me, "compatibility" means the facility to call a program from JCL > with a long PARM presenting exactly the same interface as today when > it's called from other languages (such as Rexx), and requiring > modification neither of the target program nor of the calling language > (i.e. Rexx). You seem to advocate that the interface when called > from JCL should differ from the interface when called from Rexx, etc. > I can't view that as "compatible". > > Yes, some programs would break if they could be called from JCL > with long parms, identically as they'd break if called from Rexx, > etc. with the same parms. Even that identical behavior in breakage > is a form of compatibility. >
The PARM interface is older than dirt and even though we can all agree with hindsight that it was a momentously stupid design, it is nevertheless a formal, documented interface and literally thousands of badly written programs work correctly ONLY because the initiator is never going to give them a parameter string of more that 100 characters. That's the one and only interface contract. The assertion that you can find programs that behave well when called directly with longer parameter strings is also true, but completely uninteresting. Changing the behavior of PARM is fraught with incompatibilities. So much so that wiser heads elected not to pull the trigger on it. There are lots of ways of enabling (much longer) parameter strings but they all necessarily involve defining some brand new and non- overlapping interface definition. New programs written to the putative new parameter interface spec will work correctly and completely oblivious of the old spec. And since the existing PARM interface will remain unchanged, all old programs will continue work as they do now, completely oblivious of any new interface. THAT my friends is compatibility. Not elegant, not pretty, but guaranteed compatible. Now can we all just get over this nonsense? -- This email might be from the artist formerly known as CC (or not) You be the judge. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
