There are some Hercules-390 members who read various tapes to create AWS files.
On Thu, Oct 16, 2025 at 7:46 PM Phil Smith III <[email protected]> wrote: > AFAIK there's no mainframe left at UofW, so even if they decided to > release it, I'm not sure how they'd do that. I mean, it's surely on some > tape somewhere, but... > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf > Of Seymour J Metz > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2025 1:24 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs > > The last free release of SCRIPTW is on the CBT tape; Waterloo refused to > release the chargeable version. I don't know whether there is any chance of > their changing their minds. > > DCF is still chargeable, with no support. > > -- > Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz > http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 > עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי > נֵ֣צַח יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א יְשַׁקֵּ֖ר > > > > > ________________________________________ > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> on behalf > of Farley, Peter <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2025 11:51 AM > To: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs > > > External Message: Use Caution > > > I wonder if IBM (or maybe the Univ. of Waterloo?) could ever be talked > into putting the DCF/SCRIPT source code (including the companion programs) > into the public domain for open-source maintenance and enhancement. > > Do either IBM or U. of Waterloo still charge money for either those > products? > > Peter > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf > Of Seymour J Metz > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2025 11:43 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs > > If you build a PDF right it's searchable, but you still have the alias > issue. My solution, which will never happen, is DCF II, a reimplementation > of SCRIPT with the constraints massively relieved, and available for Linux, > with concurrent reimplementation of the companion programs. > > ________________________________________ > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> on > behalf of Eric Rossman <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2025 8:48 AM > To: mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs > > True. As long as the PDF viewer in use supports it, you can use #page=xx > to open to a specific page. > > All that said, the core problem remains the searchability of the > information. It's two problems in one: First, the information isn't always > organized well, making it harder to find something that is documented. > Second, oftentimes, the searcher knows something about what they are > looking for BUT they don't use the exact keyword(s) needed to narrow down > to the relevant information. > > I'm actively working at fixing the first problem (please send me comments > about the ICSF pubs if you have helpful suggestions!) and would love to > help with the second problem. I just need some thoughts on what is most > often tripping people up. > > Eric Rossman > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> On > Behalf Of Seymour J Metz > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2025 8:42 AM > To: mailto:[email protected] > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Newer SYSPROGs (was Re: Political topics) > > You can link to a page in a PDF. > ________________________________________ > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> on > behalf of Colin Paice <mailto: > [email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2025 2:49 AM > To: mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs (was Re: Political topics) > > I write blogs and refer to documentation. It is so useful when you can > link directly to the topic or paragraph, rather than a chapter or larger > entity. I use PDF for reading, but HTML pages to link to a topic. > > On Thu, Oct 16, 2025, 07:51 Abe Kornelis <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > > All, > > > > For documentation to be useful, the information in it has to be findable. > > > > Creating good structure and properly indexing and cross-referencing all > > information in any sizeable library is a daunting task. > > > > I am currently upgrading the documentation for our team's product. > > Using AI (here we go again) helps, although results are still tentative. > > I mean, the jury is still out, but it looks like it will help reduce the > > task > > from 'Herculean' to 'manageable'. I hope it will. > > > > Software without documentation is as useful as gasoline without a car. > > > > Kind regards & Happy programming! > > Abe > > > > On 16/10/2025 00:16, Phil Smith III wrote: > > > That's an excellent point! "Documentation? What documentation??" My > wife > > bought a neck massager that has an 18-page manual, and I was astounded > that > > it was that long in this modren day and age. > > > > > > The shift from "Here's the IBM doc library for <x>" to "Just Google it" > > has also led to reduced focus on structuring the documentation library, I > > fear. That's surely not fixable: doc is seen as a pure cost, I think. IBM > > is not going to rehire the legions of Information Developers that used to > > exist. > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> > On > > Behalf Of Lennie Bradshaw > > > Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 2:06 PM > > > To: mailto:[email protected] > > > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs (was Re: Political topics) > > > > > > Sadly, much software on other platforms today has far less > > documentation. This leads to low expectations that an answer might be > > found. Instead, answers are found in forums. Perhaps we need to emphasise > > that IBM mainframe systems manuals are rather more comprehensive and can > be > > used as a first source of information. > > > > > > Lennie > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> > On > > Behalf Of David Purdy > > > Sent: 15 October 2025 18:25 > > > To: mailto:[email protected] > > > Subject: Re: Newer SYSPROGs (was Re: Political topics) > > > > > > Our first response to a question is;What did the manual say? > > > Our second response is:Don't use ChatGPT > > > On Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 12:59:09 PM EDT, Jousma, David < > > mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Changed the subject to keep Darren’s feathers down… > > > > > > As entrenched system programmers most of us are from decades of > > experience, we really need to take a softer tone that some here have > > mentioned. First off, let’s not scare away newbies from the platform, > but > > sometimes just a pointer to which manual they can go looking at is all > that > > is needed. > > > > > > My mentor used to ask me what I was looking at that I didn’t > > understand. And if I replied that I hadn’t looked, well then he pointed > me > > to the manual. For me, I’ve learned more about everything else by > > searching the manual for what I really wanted. After awhile it all > starts > > to fit together. > > > > > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> > on > > behalf of Seymour J Metz <mailto:[email protected]> > > > Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 12:44 PM > > > To: mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > > Subject: Re: Political topics > > > > > > I used to phrase it as "Which part of the explanation is unclear"; > maybe > > they legit did RTFM and the information was ambiguous or flat wrong. > > > > > > Yes, that last does happen, and I can't reaonably expect a user to > > recognize and deal with it. > > > > > > -- > > > ________________________________________ > > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <mailto:[email protected]> > on > > behalf of Jay Maynard <mailto: > [email protected]> > > > Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 9:34 AM > > > To: mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > > Subject: Re: Political topics > > > > > > > > > I try hard to always say which FM and where the information is in it > > when saying RTFM. > > > > > > On Wed, Oct 15, 2025 at 8:06 AM Seymour J Metz <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > >> Always verify that the relevant information is in TFM before saying > > RTFM. > > >> In fact, verify that it is not hidden away. > > >> > > > -- > > > Jay Maynard > > This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the > addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. > If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized > representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any > dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have > received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by > e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] 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 [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
