Mark Zelden wrote:
Paul,
I don't want to start a "let's pick on Paul" thread, but these (almost)
daily bashings of this platform's shortcomings are really getting boring.
Perhaps it's a matter of balance. In many ways, Paul's
comments seem like whining and complaining. On the other
hand, it could be taken as a sincere desire to improve
the platform, especially in relation to the competition.
I've learned a lot from his insights, especially about
z/OS UNIX, and he has much to share. But perhaps a little
more grace or humor would work better (I should talk, I
guess). And I have seen him give praise where he thought
it was merited. But he's not an effusive guy, it seems.
Also: we're kinda' family here. We all signed up. So we
learn to accept our various shortcomings because overall
we gain more than we lose. Paul whines. I throw in ads
and promotions whenever I can (of course, that's only
becuase I'm struggling; if my plate were full I'd stop).
Schmuel throws out brief negations with no explanation or
insight. Several folks like to show off the erudition and
classical training, to no particular advantage of the IBM
mainframe platform. Lots of folks indulge in nostalgia for
the glory days (which will not come again, I'm afraid) and
reminisce about things that really have no relevance to
getting our jobs done.
But the wealth of knowledge, sharing, and insight is really
amazing, and that's what keeps us coming back: we need the
help and support, and many of us enjoy giving help when we
can.
I have a challenge for you: Find some of the smartest developers you
know, write an operating system that addresses all the shortcomings of
(or things you dislike about) z/OS, *nix, win-doze and any other
systems you've worked on. Then come back in about 20-25 years and see
if it holds up half as well as this platform has to whatever technology
is available / popular at the time.
Once upon a time, in my younger years, I had the
thought that I could whip out an operating system
that would integrate all the lessons we've learned,
and avoid the mistakes of the past. When I actually
sat down to think about what it would take, I decided
that's not the best use of my time.
We all know that other platforms can and do some things better and
perhaps some of those things can be changed on this platform. It
takes time, money, and enough good reasons to do so. Where do you want
to see your dollars spent? I think I can handle putting a single
quote around a unix path name in JCL so OS enhancements that meet our
business needs are addressed first.
Sure. And as someone pointed out last month, it is truly amazing
to reflect on all the changes that _have_ been made over the
years, even recently. Who would have guessed you could run
UNIX under z/OS? Or that the mainframe would handle ASCII and
Unicode, that you would be able to host a web site, run a
Java Virtual Machine, send and receive email, and on and on?
So, yes, it's a matter of resource allocation. But I think it
helps if we voice our suggestions for improvement so that at
least the developers are aware of the possibilities.
Kind regards,
-Steve Comstock
The Trainer's Friend, Inc.
http://www.trainersfriend.com
Mark
--
Mark Zelden
Sr. Software and Systems Architect - z/OS Team Lead
Zurich North America / Farmers Insurance Group
mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
z/OS and OS390 expert at http://searchDataCenter.com/ateExperts/
Mark's MVS Utilities: http://home.flash.net/~mzelden/mvsutil.html
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