-----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Shmuel Metz (Seymour J.) Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 10:53 AM To: IBM-MAIN@BAMA.UA.EDU Subject: Re: sequence numbers (or whatever)
In <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, on 07/30/2006 at 01:12 PM, john gilmore <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: >The triviality of this issue is, however, convenient in one way. It >provides an occasion for noting that clinging to a piece of obsolete >technology that we know and love, a high resolve to go on using it >until it is pried from our lifeless fingers, is dysfunctional. Your analysis is flawed by the invalid assumption that those defending sequence numbers love them. I have, in my career, always strived to be an early adopter of new technology, and have eagerly dropped old technology WHEN IT CEASED TO PROVIDE ME WITH VALUE. I have not, however, been willing to drop old technology that was still useful simply because it was old and out of style. <snip> I second this, although I'm not one to be on the bleeding edge any longer (spending money to debug someone else's idea...). I am working where we use a library management product. The lack of sequence numbers has bitten twice in the past 4 months that I've been here. Yet the library maint product does not require or even use sequence numbers. Also, when IBM was discussing with COBOL J3 (or was it J4) the changing of COBOL input LRECL>80 (I think this was called "unformatted"), it never occurred to their people that they [IBM] have software written in COBOL where the protocol is to keep the SEQUENCE numbers the same (as much as is possible) so that USER code that is INSTALLATION dependant could be merged into the source for compilation (Example: CPCS). As a result of dropping the sequence numbering scheme, CPCS (for one) can't adopt the new format. Later, Steve Thompson ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
