David, Yes, assembler can be used to improve performance.
In the 64 years I have been programming, I have used COBOL for three years, C++ for six years, and assembler for 55 years. But it’s not just the language that affects performance. Design is critical and arranging your algorithms in the correct sequence is of the utmost importance. Tom Harper Phoenix Software International Sent from my iPhone > On Mar 17, 2024, at 7:18 AM, David Spiegel > <00000468385049d1-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu> wrote: > > Hi Tom, > Not new/difficult, but, must be used appropriately or it can cause > performance issues. > When I worked at SIAC (NYSE) 2004-2010, one of the last mainframe activities > I did was to look into why 6 Batch Jobs (run nightly) took over the machine > to the point that TSO response time was painfully slow (after 1st period). > The original programmer decided to use UNSTRING to build CSV Data out of > records from a KSDS. On a hunch, I rewrote the UNSTRING call in Assembler. > The run times of these 6 (similar) Jobs went from 6 hours to just over a half > hour. > > Regards, > David > >> On 2024-03-15 16:55, Tom Harper wrote: >> I used STRING / UNSTRING back in the early 1970s it’s not new nor difficult. >> >> Unbelievable. >> >> Tom Harper >> Phoenix Software International >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>>> On Mar 15, 2024, at 4:20 PM, Farley, Peter >>>> <0000031df298a9da-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu> wrote: >>> >>> +1 from me on continuing to learn the tools of our profession. I use >>> STRING and UNSTRING where they make sense, and I am still learning new >>> things about their use every now and then. Life-long learning is the only >>> path to happiness and success. >>> >>> I got the same ridiculous pushback from a senior manager one time on the >>> use of “sophisticated” SORT verbs like JOIN because “. . . no one but you >>> will know how to fix it when it breaks . . . let someone do it in COBOL >>> instead . . .”. >>> >>> Peter >>> >>> From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of >>> Bob Bridges >>> Sent: Friday, March 15, 2024 12:38 PM >>> To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU >>> Subject: Learning one's tools >>> >>> >>> To rant on a related subject, I once worked at a company that instituted >>> code reviews; a new program would be gone over by a half-dozen coworkers to >>> be sure it adhered to local standards. This sort of thing is always >>> painful to the coder, and nevertheless (I admit reluctantly) can have >>> considerable value if done right. One problem I had with it, though, is >>> that the standards we created for ourselves admitted that there are times >>> when exceptions should be made for special cases, and yet when those cases >>> arose no exceptions were ever allowed; the team invariably flinched, leaned >>> back in their seats and said "no, that's not according to our standards". >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail message, including any attachments, appended messages and the information contained therein, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient or have otherwise received this email message in error, any use, dissemination, distribution, review, storage or copying of this e-mail message and the information contained therein is strictly prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of this email message and do not otherwise utilize or retain this email message or any or all of the information contained therein. Although this email message and any attachments or appended messages are believed to be free of any virus or other defect that might affect any computer system into which it is received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that it is virus free and no responsibility is accepted by the sender for any loss or damage arising in any way from its opening or use. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
