Let’s look at this: > 1. Python programmers are more plentiful > While REXX is easy to learn, it is not easy to find REXX programmers outside > of the z/OS world. When bringing new people into the company, it is much > easier to find people who understand Python. Job listings with Python as the > language will probably be less overlooked than REXX. Sure, those people will > have to learn z/OS constructs, but they won’t also have to learn a new > language. While REXX is easy to learn, you still must learn it. A tyro trying > to pick up the language while they debug or change existing REXX code is > challenging. Face it, there are some esoteric ways to use REXX that would > confuse a newbie.
No, on the mainframe they aren’t. And the platform requires specific knowledge, as shown by the disasters created by those not knowledgeable. > 2. Python’s structures make it more readable > Python code forces a more readable code pattern. While it would take a bit of > work for someone who is new to the Python language to get right all the > language intricacies (especially if they are writing their code in ISPF), the > rules for coding in Python makes the code more legible. If you are using a > workstation editor like VSCode or Atom, they provide formatters to make > writing code easier. In addition to the fact that Python code itself tends to > be simpler to understand, these editors along with its formatters help > enforce Pythonic style. Pythonic is a coding style that makes code concise, > clear, and less complex. Overall, the entire Python community drives code > that is easier to follow. This is going to be critical for new people trying > to learn not only what you are trying to do, but also how the system works. Well, pure bullshit, as even VSCode and Atom have Rexx modes. In Python, structure is based on indentation, which makes Python modes less helpful. > 3. Python is easily extendable > Most of the world relies on C code as its system interface language. > Platforms like Linux are mostly written in C. Even the z/OS world can > leverage the C language as an access language to Assembler functionality. > Python is easily extendable with C. Most of the IBM Z Open Automation > Utilities are written in C and provides Python modules that leverage the C > infrastructure to make use of lower system capabilities. This will only grow > in the future as the open-source community takes advantage of such > extensions. It is not hard to foresee a world where Python modules interface > to z/OS assembler macros making the system much more approachable to new > people interested in the platform. Rexx is easily extensible with C. On every platform, including the mainframe (z/OS and z/VM). This person call himself a seasoned mainframe guy but he clearly doesn’t know a thing. > 4. Python has more supporting functions > There is a plethora of packages in Python making it easy to take advantage of > functionality that someone else has created. Not only does this allow people > to take advantage of cool Python functions, but it also allows us to create > packages that abstract some of the particularly esoteric z/OS components to > make it easy for future sysprogs to use. There is already work in this space. > In addition to packages that support simple connections to the HMC, or 3270 > data streams, there is an Open Source repository for As already demonstrated in earlier posts, on the mainframe, it does not. You will have to make them. You will waste your time as they are available in Rexx. I would then fire you. > 5. Python vulnerability checking > We live in a time when systems are increasingly under attack. Because of > this, many companies are looking for ways to ensure that code being used has > been vetted to ensure that it doesn’t pose any hacking risk. While there are > no guarantees that code is completely safe, having tooling that checks code > for known vulnerabilities is essential for minimizing risk. Python’s > popularity and its pervasive use in system automation has driven the creation > of a set of tools designed to ensure that known vulnerabilities are absent > from code that will be automating management functions on the system. Bla, bla bla. You have to appreciate that the previous point, more libraries, would counter this argument (see, log4j, for example) right away if it were true. This is babble by someone who clearly does not know about supervisor mode, apf, racf and general security. > 6. Python is used to manage automated activities on all other systems > Many businesses already rely on Python as the automation language for their > non z/OS environments. For many businesses, there is already experience in > house automating other platforms in the data center. For many of them, > orchestration tools like Ansible, rely on Python routines to perform > management tasks. Using Python makes it easier for the system to play in the > same environment, giving it the look and feel as every other platform in the > business. It also makes it easier for non z/OS people to learn what is > happening under the covers. Well, if it is all, it quickly becomes ‘many’ and then ‘already’, never saw someone back peddle so quickly. Non-z/OS people better learn Rexx to know what is ‘under the covers’ because otherwise they will make trouble only (well, they do already - sleep tight, under the covers). Apart from that, crontab is still the thing that manages automated activities everywhere except the mainframe. We used to be happy about that. > 7. Python has tools to aid in documentation > Everyone hates documenting code. It takes time, effort and let’s face it, > once the code is done everyone wants to move on to the next project. Even > when people generate documentation, it is often incomplete. Python has tools > to provide the start of documentation for both the end users of the code and > those responsible for maintaining it. Having a set of tools makes it easier > to create documentation that is accurate reflecting what the code is actually > doing. Well, in Rexx you can read what the code is doing. You might be right about Python here, it needs tools for people to understand what it is doing. But unfortunately they only provide the start. > 8. Python is the language of AI > Modern workers do not stay with a company as long as they used to. As such, > we need to make sure they are productive quicker than ever before. To make > this happen, we will need automation that can take advantage of AI to help > sysprogs make good decisions about the smooth operation of their z/OS > systems. This means that the automation will have to interact with AI > Operations models. Since most of that work is done in Python today, having > automation that can easily leverage that functionality will be critical. Nothing better to throw in some Artificial Intelligence to mask your natural dumbness. Most of that is done in C++ by the way, sometimes with Python APIs - otherwise it would become very slow, a bit like a Medium article; this whole paragraph goes from ’shorter gigs’ to ‘quicker productive’ to ’sysprogs making good decisions’; utter memo-jumbo, and just like the concept of AI, so watered down it means next to nothing. The article professes ’not to knock Rexx’, but it seems someone has an agenda, but is rather short of truthful arguments. Still, some management type will read it and nod approvingly, as is the way of the world. Best regards, René Jansen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
