>Why aren't things like this exposed ???. And if they are, why aren't >they (publicly/freely) documented.
If you want a programming interface for something, then you ought to formally ask for it. The "action", if the request is accepted, might be to create something new or might be to identify as a programming interface the field you already knew about. You have no way of knowing what intricate ramifications there might be for bits that are not programming interfaces that you happen to think do what you want. And we have no reason to avoid making changes in such areas when such changes are appropriate to the product, including in service, and such changes might invalidate your assumptions. Even when something is a programming interface, you might not be given enough information. But that in general is unintentional, and further detail would be provided (and added to the documentation). Making an assumption about something that is unstated is almost always a bad thing to do. Most non-programming interface fields are created for the operating system's use. And that is all that can and should be said about them externally. If we wanted you to write code to rely on such things, we would have identified them as interfaces. To use non-interface fields is to put your system at risk. You are welcome to take that risk if it is your system. So let's take ASSBFSAS for example, since that is being bandied about. There can be no controversy about what its line comment is: WLM Managed OE Forked/Spawned address space. After all, only Bill Clinton quibbles about what "is" means. Now as to what it "means", here are some questions I'd have: -- Is it on for a forked/spawned address space if the space is not WLM managed? -- Is it on regardless of WLM's processing mode? -- Does "WLM managed" even refer to the address sapce itself or some WLM management of fork/spawn? -- Is it turned on before the "child" starts running? -- Is it ever turned off? I don't happen to know the answer to any of these questions. And I don't propose to find out. If I had a choice and needed to know something about fork/spawn attributes, I would prefer looking at an indicator set/owned by USS rather than one set by WLM. Peter Relson z/OS Core Technology Design ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
