On Mon, 19 Dec 2016 21:33:44 +0000, David W Noon wrote: >>> >>> The old OS/360 utilities used assembler syntax for their command input. >>> This means you can put as asterisk in column 1 and you can add comments >>> after the operands provided you have at least one space. >>> >> Alas, no; or at least no longer: > >I suspect they were streamlined when they were rolled into DFP. A parser >to handle assembler syntax would be rather larger than a bespoke parser >to handle the much smaller range of commands supported by each utility. > "streamlined" should not mean "stripped of a useful function".
>A bit over 20 years ago, I worked with a retired IBMer who helped write >the OS/360 utilities and he said they all used assembler syntax because >that was the only programming language the developers knew. As the old >saw goes: when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. > I've heard similar said of JCL. I suspect it was cultural rather than technical: it seems unlikely that JCL, Utilities, and Assembler ever used common code, except possibly "copied" rather than "shared". I suspect many programmers wish for HLASM Conditional Assembler facilities in JCL. I'd find DOUBLE precious. I could imagine using HLASM as a JCL preprocessor, PUNCHING everything to INTRDR. But that would be accepted only if compatible with existing JCL "dusty decks". -- gil ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
