For Destination z, I'm writing about how mainframe work has changed --
/especially /with with tips and what might be in the future and how to
stay ahead.
In the "that was then" category, there's all this...
* I learned to program a keypunch drum control card my first day
working at IBM
* We all worked night shifts for machine time
* We had massively heavy printed system dumps
* We had bookshelves full of manuals needing too-frequent updates via TNL
* Companies had on-site and frequently visiting sales and support IBMers
* We fought religious wars between VMers/MVSers
* We loved full source code (for VM, at least)
* I had a manager who'd been a very good system programmer
* Mostly or entirely blue (IBM) installations were common
* We suffered with primitive and creaky-slow dial access
* Users fought for space in "terminal rooms" vs. today's
anywhere/everywhere personal terminals/PCs/BYOD
* Centralized staff vs. dispersed teleworkers
* Informal or no change control
* A few mainstream programming languages
...which has all changed mostly for the better (but, ah, source code, I
remember it well). Mid-career came FAX machines ("but who would we use
that with?"), and later came the Internet, smartphones/tablets. Under
"this is now" we have BYOD, social media, and Donald Trump turning DC's
beautiful/historic Old Post Office into a hotel. No wait, save that last
one for griping elsewhere.
So -- other examples? What's new and what's coming in mainframe work? Is
it getting better or worse? How do you (do you?) keep up or even stay
ahead?
For this article, I'm focusing on work, not that-was-then and
this-is-now technology changes (3.g., running half-meg memory
mainframes with 35/100/200 MB DASD, etc.)
As usual, be brief -- I'll ask for details. Copy directly to me to avoid
replies buried in digests, etc.
Thanks!
--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc. g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042 (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegold Twitter: GabeG0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
