Non-mainframers tend to use the word "reentrant" to mean what we mainframers would call "recursive".
Mainframers tend to use the word "reentrant" to mean a program that is concurrently executable by multiple units of work and it does not modify itself at all (or may modify itself in a way that is not detectable by the multiple units of work that are concurrently executing the program). btw: I would offer the definition of "non-reentrant" to be a program designed either to modify itself or a program that may misbehave when executed concurrently by multiple units of work. Mainframers tend to use the word "refreshable" to mean a program that does not modify itself at all, so that it could be refreshed from external storage medium at any time *and* any concurrently executing units of work would not detect the refresh. A refreshable program is also specifically designed for correct behavior during concurrent execution by multiple units of work. btw: I always write my "reentrant" programs as though they are "refreshable". I always design my programs to be reentrant *unless* there is a specific reason that requires the program to be non-reentrant. Personal convenience alone is not sufficient justification to design a program as non-reentrant, other than for a "throw away" program that I expect to use only once. 2 cents worth. Your mileage may vary. Jeffrey D. Smith Principal Product Architect Farsight Systems Corporation 700 KEN PRATT BLVD. #204-159 LONGMONT, CO 80501-6452 303-774-9381 direct 303-484-6170 FAX http://www.farsight-systems.com/ comments are invited on my encryption project > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Rick Fochtman > Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 9:53 AM > To: IBM-MAIN@BAMA.UA.EDU > Subject: Re: Is the teaching of non-reentrant HLASM coding practices ever > defensible? > > ----------------------------<snip>---------------------------- > A program that is re-entrant according to the strict definition is one > that spontaneously re-enters itself. We call such behavior a loop. > -------------------------<unsnip>--------------------------- > Sometimes we call it "recursion". <G> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
