This is exactly the problem Windows had in the early days: it's all well and good until you fall off the edge, out of the GUI envelope, and then all is lost. That doesn't make it necessarily a bad idea--I hear Windows has a *few* users--but it does mean that you need to be very, Very, VERY serious about developing the GUI *and* forcing applications to do the same. Good luck with the latter on z/OS.
ObAnecdote: Back in the mid-90s, the Relay/Gold terminal emulation product had a Windows version that was built on the core of the DOS version. It worked great, was Windows-ized--except for one error screen that came up when some sort of SDLC thing failed: it fell into DOS-land, and the only solution was to hit ENTER to continue. Since this was being used to automate a process for an insurance company, it was A Big Problem. Fixing it in the code was non-trivial; best solution I could come up with was a phone-enabled powerstrip* such that when it failed, someone could make a call and power-cycle the rack. They didn't much like that solution (neither did I, but it was better than nothing). Oddly, I forget how it was finally solved, given how long it went on and the number of site visits I made trying to deal with it. Maybe they changed to not use SDLC. *My "drinking bird that hits Enter every few seconds" was also vetoed as impractical -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of Tom Longfellow Sent: Monday, July 8, 2024 11:52 AM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: another z/OSMF rant. -- Catch-22 is killing me The store is much longer than this post could cover. I will keep it as brief as possible in an attempt to keep my blood pressure under control. 1. Product install is STRONGLY recommending using z/OSMF Softtware Management to install. 2. I obey and get everything downloaded and start the installation workflow,. 3. It's time to submit the jobs that actually do the work of building the SMP and product runlibes 4. z/OSMF fails to submit any jobs with a complaint about SSL... 5. IBM support says the problem is a flaw in the JAVA that I installed last September (using z/OSMF of all things) 6. "old fashined" batch JCL was used to download that fix and all of his associated follow on maintenance (RSU2406). 7. RSU2406 applied and system IPLed to get a fresh new start. ========= Now the Catch-22 ================== + z/OSFMF will not respond to its designated IP HTTPS port. It is not even listening on that port. + Therefore I cannot even login to use the Diagnostic Assistant or even attempt to complete my insall. CATCH-22: You NEED z/OSMF to DEBUG z/OSMF. =============== Latest from IBM --- we think the z/OSMF error is related to this WLM error we see in the log. Now the problem expands to another support team. In the meantime I am out here hanging - unable to perform my job. ================ I have always said that GUIs are OK when they help. But SOMEONE still has to know what to do to fix it when it's broke WITHOUT using the thing that just broke. I contend that z/OSMF now needlessly surpasses the complexity and obscurity of the z/OS system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
