On 6/11/2013 8:31 AM, John Gilmore wrote:
This is accurate enough if 'The' is replaced by 'a'; but VBS has a very much longer history beginning with unformatted FORTRAN II tape I/O on the IBM 704.
Perhaps my memory isn't what it used to be, but I do not remember anything like variable format on the 700/7000 series. I recall the ability to write blocks of any size, including one block per tape, but nothing with a (generated equivalent of a) BDW, RDW, or SDW. Input statements needed to issue READs with compatible lengths, either by coding or using program provided lengths. So I see VBS as beginning with the S/360.
For its history in an IBM System/360 environment see http://www.idinews.com/history/greenWords.html
Thanks for the reference; I hadn't seen this before. Gerhard Postpischil Bradford, Vermont ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
