Runs on Raspberry Pis and Network Attached Drives Atom processors too. On Sat, Feb 25, 2023 at 6:49 PM Jim Marshall <000004a082badc31-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu> wrote: > > The Paddle Project at SHARE was formed in order to provide a means of support > when IBM stopped supporting the OS/MVT Operating System on IBM 360s and > ultimately running on the later IBM 4341. IBM had announced the IBM 370 and > its OS/VS R2, later becoming MVS and wanted customers to buy new hardware and > the new MVS OS. This was in the mid 1970s. > > I was in the Air Force and arrived in the Pentagon in early September 1975 > just in time to attend the last IBM OS/MVT Workshop given in order to be a > SYSProg on a surplus IBM 360/75J. There were quite a few IBM 360s running in > private industry and Government. > Many SHARE attendees were still running OS/MVT and Dr Robert (Bob) Rannie, > Northern Illinois University formed the Paddle Project, mascot an OAR, > signifying you could join the members in the symbolic CANOE and we would all > SHARE information paddling, providing our own support. IBM was not pleased. > Early on a number of attendees also formed a team wearing powder blue berets > with the “OS Special Forces” patch. > > My Data Center was trying to upgrade the IBM 360/75J to an IBM 370/168 but > the approval process would take years. In the meantime some high priority > workloads needed to keep running and the more they processed, the Air Staff > found more things to do. > Each SHARE the OS/MVT session were overflowing with our IBM Rep, Jerry > Fineman, attending. One meeting Jerry leaped on the stage, snatched the > Paddle from Dr Bob, and broke the handle over his knee signifying when OS/MVT > breaks, IBM would not assist in fixing; no way. Actually in my prior > assignment out in Colorado, IBM was fully supporting OS/MVT on multiple IBM > 360/75Js, including some overseas, for a high priority Defense system. In > fact IBM would later update OS/MVT to run on multiple IBM 3033s. But for now > all of us were “OWN OUR OWN”, up the creek but “WITH A PADDLE”. Brand X > vendors including IBM retrofitted, IBM 3330/3350 DASD and Tape drives from > 556bpi to 6250bpi to run on them. > > I help to consolidate and distribute all the know info on OS/MVT plus all the > performance related enhancements and ZAPS coded some by IBM’ers, but SHARE > members. I applied all to my IBM 360/75J and could outrun an IBM 370/158 on > MVS. > > Getting back to the broken Paddle, Dr Bob took the broken Paddle back to NIU, > created an APAR and create a PTF or Paddle Temporary FIX. He drilled holes in > each end and inserted a Titanium rod and used epoxy; good as new. I seem to > recall he wrapped tape around broken area to give the illusion it was a less > than permanent fix. > > Sure enough at the next SHARE, Dr Bob was on stage with the Paddle, Jerry > again leaped onto the stage with malice intent, grabbed the Paddle and in a > big display of contempt, raised his leg and slapped the Paddle down to break > it. He limped off the stage for the titanium fix had held. > > It tided me over until we upgraded in late 1978, getting the first IBM 30XX > shipped, an IBM 3032; especially the IBM 360/75J was located in the corner > with $300M worth of Honeywell Computers. The decision was made to keep the > IBM 360/75J, upgrade main memory from 1M to 2.5M, all high speed, add ITEL > 3330s and add a COMTEN 3650 Com Controller to offer Dial-up Unclassified Time > Sharing. TSO was enhanced with a bunch of TSOCPs, HASP3.1 was modified and > many offices installed RJE’s to keep from walking up to a mile to get their > output from the data center. > > Even though IBM wanted everyone to upgrade to MVS and begin paying for parts > to the system along with Program Products, the IBM 360 encouraged many > government sites to use it. After all, the system was stable, was fully paid > for and depreciated to $0. The software was free along with Assembler, COBOL, > PL1/F, ALGOL, RPG and JOVIAL. Then there was all the SHAREWARE software > written by non-IBM’ers showing up on the SHARE tape and CBT (Connecticut Bank > & Trust) maintained by Arnie Casinghino and later picked up by Sam Golob. > This free software had source code and was passed around all over the world. > Most of these compilers still run today even with z/OS. Plus users were not > restricted to work local to the Data Center. It was hard to convince > management to upgrade until maintenance issues along arose now done by Third > Party vendors along with parts availability. > > From that point it was into the 1980s and most installations had gotten > either the IBM 370 , coming of IBM 3090s where most of the smaller systems > jumped onto the IBM 4341 or 4381s. Actually it is little know but the GPS > satellites’ Command and Control System, at the time, was running on an IBM > 360/65 out of Point Mugu, CA; late an IBM 4381 using OS/MVT under VM. > > The IBM 360 ran long after because in an attempt to improve US/China > relations the US State Dept was buying up obsolete IBM 360/65s and with > OS/MVT 21.8E+ plus all the languages, was giving them to Chinese > Universities. In fact Dr Bob at NIU was hired to trained Chinese SYSProgs on > OS/MVT during summer sessions on campus. There were export restrictions on > IBM 370s and above but not obsolete technology like IBM 360 and OS/MVT. I > understand OS/MVT still runs today as Virtual machine on a PC using Hercules > (VM like). Actually the free MVS 3.8 runs under Hercules on laptops. Before > the MVS or maybe it was OS/390 was withdrawn from view, much of its code was > still commented as OS/MVT. I would believe it is still in the latest z/OS. > > Capt Jim Marshall, USAF(Ret) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
-- Mike A Schwab, Springfield IL USA Where do Forest Rangers go to get away from it all? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
