JCL get's a bad rap but it is extremely useful. I too dislike using it but I would regret not having it. It certainly could use a rewrite but there are issues with that.
JCL gives us batch (or background) processing which some equate to UNIX background task but it provides so much more: 1. JCL prompted the implementation of job schedulers. Programmers can easily and quickly provide the base structure for this processing. Success and failure is automatically detected at the step level because of JCL. We are able to restart at a specified step because of JCL. 2. It is the only tool where we can easilyt segregate interactive versus long running programs. This allows WLM give more resources to interactive users because they are personally waiting. Sysprog's encourage it's use by setting WLM such that a user get's less than batch priority when they use to many resources. 3. It allows you the ability to look at how a job is proceeding (SDSF). 4. It segregates output into job steps and DD's making it easier to find the information you desire. Much more difficult to do in TSO. 5. It has a job log which usually contains a summary of return codes to quickly determine if anything failed. (IEFACTRT). You may hate JCL but you probably love what it gives you. Jon Perryman. >________________________________ > From: David Crayford <[email protected]> > > >On 6/11/2013 10:33 AM, Gerhard Postpischil wrote: >> On 11/5/2013 7:26 PM, David Crayford wrote: >>> I don't think it's perceived as boring, certainly it's perceived as user >>> hostile. Take Pauls cp command example, it's easy to copy files >>> using a simple command. For those that prefer GUIs they can drag and >>> drop or copy/paste. On the mainframe one has no choice but >>> to run JCL. JCL certainly is an antique, and a very unpleasant one. >> >> IIRC, IBM has had a simple COPY command ever since TSO/E - no JCL needed. >> JCL is unpleasant only if you're not used to it; I've run on Univac, Unisys, >> CDC, and other systems, and found JCL to be a good compromise of simplicity >> and power. >> > >I've been using JCL for over 25 years and I still find it unpleasant! In the >early 90s I was introduced to AS/400s which had a very nice language called >CL. It was light years ahead of JCL and a pleasure >to use. Yet again, it comes back to antiquity. JCL was invented for OS/360 and >were stuck with it. IIRC, Fred Brooks described JCL as the "worst programming >language ever designed" and lamented the fact that it happened on his shift. > >> And I find "cp" terribly confusing - to a neophyte does it stand for copy, >> or compare, or compress (as in disk reorganization). It might make more >> sense if I could assign an alias of COPY to it. >> > >Yes, those Unix commands a very terse. They could of at least stuck a y on the >end :) > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
