On Thu, 23 May 2019 14:05:43 -0500, John McKown wrote:
>This is just a curiosity question. The SDSF book shows an API for using it
>in REXX and Java. Anybody know why no other languages? Or are we supposed
>to use SAPI for compiled languages instead of the SDSF API? Or is it SPOOL
>Dataset Browser that we are supposed to use?
>
>https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.3.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r3.isfa600/rexx.htm
>
>https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.3.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r3.isfa600/javapl.htm
>https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.3.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r3.ieaf200/sapi.htm
>
>https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.3.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r3.hasc300/spbrowse.htm
>
An analogous question:
SMP/E API -- Why *not* Rexx? (Kurt Q. has answered here that one day
when they have copious spare time, they'll consider Rexx.)
An example to follow is ICSF, which has Rexx interface samples in SAMPLIB.
They use ADDRESS LINKMVS which is easily emulates Assembler CALL,
provided the designer accepts the restriction that the caller supplies no
pointers -- Rexx has no pointer type. Rexx can follow pointers returned
through the API by using the STORAGE() function. Alas, SMP/E's API
requires that the caller supply pointers to reply buffers other than those
passed as arguments to CALL/LINKMVS.
A half century ago, a brash graduate student, fresh out of Yale, boasted
to me about experience with a 360/67 (I assume) with 2000K (perhaps
4000K), and that the interfaces were homogeneous: any program could
be called alike by JCL, FORTRAN, PL/I, ... -- any language. Skeptically,
I asked:
"Even SNOBOL4?"
"Of course."
"LISP?"
"Of course!"
...
I remained skeptical, then and to this day. Sure, you can call SDSF alike
from JCL, Assembler, ..., but the capabilities fall far short of the API-type
interaction available by Rexx ADDRESS SDSF -- hardly interactive.
(The Eli also boasted of a facility that allowed multiple programs to
run with REGIONs having the same range of addresses.)
-- gil
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