I plant my stake firmly in the "JCL is not a programming language" camp. It is a /control/ language.
Whether it could be considered a scripting language or not depends on your definition. I'll say /yes/: some scripting languages are also programming languages but not all. For example, you can have a simple language for scripting TN3270 screens, that just plugs in values and waits for the response, but has no other decision or branching logic. Or take BTI (Batch Terminal Interface) scripts for CA-7: they're just a series of commands, but no logic. As for /why/ JCL isn't a programming language: as was pointed out, it isn't self-sufficient. It can't even run without reference to other programs, which are /not/ part of JCL or JES. It can't do input or output. It can't set variables while running. While it can sort of branch based on return codes, it has no way to set the return codes. It can't even display "Hello, World". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
