Re: Is there a mainframe skills shortage?


"Gary" <spam@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ReOdnc6RNa6SJ4nb4p2dnA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pete wrote: I
remember being devastated when one place I was working threw out
TASKMASTER in favour of IMS/DC. TM was definitely the best TP monitor
I've ever worked with and light years ahead of IBM's offerings.
Sounds familiar...
Did they have a stow-find file system function?

As soon as I read that it jogged my memory...26 years (I had to check my
CV... it is currently 32 pages but I have a 7 page summary.. :-))

Yes, TM DID implement a STOW and FETCH/FIND function, that was extremely
useful.

I wrote a replacement for it, on a IBM/370 to Unisys/1100 replacement.

Excellent!

I think you could consider the CICS transaction queues as a similar
function.

Let
it go. Unix has NOT taken over the World and even if it does, what's
your
beef? If you intend to pay the mortgage off by application programming
(as
you said above) why would you care what OS is in use? It's not like you
have
to maintain it...
My beef extends from the fact that Unix is not a good operating
system, I have 5 months experience of it and can not get a job using
it.

How does your unfortunate inability to get a job with it, reflect on the
usefulness of the OS? (Are you thinking in French :-)?)

If you measure the worth of software purely by whether knowing it helps
you get a job, then it isn't me who requires attitude adjustment :-)

I applied for a position as a UNIX (SUN)SysAdmin and answered-"yes,15
years on Sun0s 4 to Solaris 9", "Yes, 30 years of
COBOL,micro/mini/mainframe flavors, in vendor support and apps
programming, and with several years of MF."

I didn't get the job either, but learned later that county management
didn't want the project to work, they wanted to keep the mainframe. Kind
of glad I lost it...

Sometimes, things turn out for the best... :-)

It's nice to know there are still people around who DO want to keep their
mainframe, but it would save everybody much wasted time if they were just up
front about it...



Well, you wisely didn't jump to a conclusion based on a sample of one.
I've
worked with quite a number over the years and the general trend has
been
towards improvement. Some of them are not so good; some are
outstanding,
exactly as those who came out of the Business or off the street without
the
benefit of College Education.

My observation also, except why did I get the extremes of each?

Some philosophies teach that we get what we can handle, so we can be tried
and extended... :-)

My own experience has been that dealing with the difficult is very good for
growth and building confidence, but you certainly don't want or need it
constantly :-)

Pete,


.

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