Why not use Python? Good question.
1. I can undoubtedly do it perfectly satisfactorily, and almost certainly more
quickly, in Rexx (because of the learning curve). I would have trouble
justifying billing the client for my Python learning time when there is little
benefit (that I know of -- correct me if I am wrong) for the client who is
paying the bills.
Why not, then, learn Python on my own time? Don't I want to learn Python? Yes I
do, but there are only so many hours in a day, and there are other things I
want to learn more than I do Python. For example, I would rather spend the time
learning to make the Roman-Jewish fried artichokes that are in the current
Cooks Illustrated. Learning Python is just not very high on my bucket list.
It's there, but probably not high enough to ever rise to the top.
2. I know exactly how to execute a Started Task written in Rexx, and I know most of the
gotchas. In my experience, THAT is the problem with the "new tools" on z/OS.
What would I have to do to execute a Started Task written in Python? What are the
gotchas? Heck, what do I have to do to set up any Python environment at all? That is the
time-consuming issue, and it holds about zero personal gratification for me. I could
probably learn the Python language pretty readily, and it would be one more notch in my
belt. Solving the probable gotchas of getting Python to actually do productive work on
z/OS -- not so much.
it would trivial to serve those reports as a REST API
Neat, but that is not what the client (who is paying the bills) wants. He wants a
trivial-to-read-on-his-iPhone email in his inbox every morning. Again, it would be nice to have
"how to write a REST API" in my toolkit, but not nice enough for me to learn it on my own
time. Frankly, I am in an "I wish I had less work on my plate" mode and I would probably
rather learn that artichoke recipe than learn to write REST APIs even if I were getting paid for
the learning time.
use SQLite instead of a file which will significantly simplify writing reports
Not for me, and probably not for the "report" (I am flattering the requirement calling it
a report -- maybe call it an "alert") that the client wants. And again, a learning curve
that is difficult to justify.
So I think I will write it in Rexx, with perhaps a little bit of Assembler.
Charles
-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf
Of David Crayford
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2022 11:43 PM
To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: Some UNIX file usage questions
On 19/06/2022 1:33 am, Paul Gilmartin wrote:
On Sat, 18 Jun 2022 09:51:45 -0700, Charles Mills wrote:
...
I picture writing the started task in Rexx, so I would have to write to a DD
name allocated to the UNIX file (either dynamically or with JCL), not with
"native" C fopen(), fwrite(), etc. Does that change any of the answers?
Why? In Rexx you can "address SYASCALL write ..." instead.
Why REXX? Is it a case of knowing the banjo so you play Stairway to
Heaven in the style of Earl Schruggs?
Why not use IBMs z/OS Python? You can then use SQLite instead of a file
which will significantly simplify writing reports. In fact, it would
trivial to serve those
reports as a REST API and put a nice WebUI on top using a simple
template that supports data tables.
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