Hamilton Group Announcement

[David H. Wolfskill]

In article <4734 at watdcsu.waterloo.edu> dmcanzi at watdcsu.waterloo.edu (David Canzi) writes:
>....

>Several years ago, DEC provided source to us for VMS, but only on
>microfiche.  You can't grep a microfiche.  IBM has been known to
>provide source in the form of assembly language output from the
>compiler for their internal language, PL/S.  (They keep the compiler
>and the language to themselves.)

Regarding IBM's practices:

	Yes, they have provided michrofiche for the PL/S output and for
	the assembler output (that follows); yes it is singularly
	difficult to "grep" microfiche.  (We tend to refer to the
	utility -- out of deference to the environment -- as "IEBIBALL"
	(pronounced "I E B eye-ball"), though....  :-)

	The microfiche is one form of what IBM refers to as "optional
	materials;" another form is magnetic tape of (part of) this
	source.

	IBM has made a "statement of direction" (I *think* that's the
	official terminology) to the effect that new program product
	components will be "Object Code Only" ("OCO"); this is a source
	of considerable debate/anguish/flames/rage/resignation/... in
	IBM user groups such as SHARE.  (If all SHARE sites were
	connected as much as USENET is, there would probably be an awful
	lot of traffic on such a net regarding this topic.)

	The "optional materials" -- including both microfiche and
	magnetic tape -- is not available for OCO software.

>....

>And who knows how many other weasely ways there are for them to
>disappoint us.  The English language is wonderfully flexible and
>ambiguous.  IBM and DEC will keep their promises, but what they have
>promised is not necessarily what you *think* they've promised.

Indeed!  At the SHARE session where IBM discussed IBM/4.3, the question
was asked about source availablility for IBM/4.3 (considering the
aforementioned OCO policy); the IBMers who were there would only say
something to the effect that they were aware of the importance of the
issue and that they were looking into it.  (If my memory serves me
rightly here.)

A certain healthy skepticism -- when dealing with any vendor -- would
seem to be quite appropriate.

david
-- 
David H. Wolfskill
uucp: ...{trwrb,hplabs}!felix!dhw68k!david	InterNet: david at dhw68k.cts.com