Re: Stop Run vs GoBack

In article <1384g2jtj1d5f4d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Rick Smith <ricksmith@xxxxxxx> wrote:

"Roger While" <simrw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:f5rdur$f45$02$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[snip]

When is a "module" a "main" program?

FDIS ISO/IEC 1989:2002, page 386, 14.5.2.1.1 Active state,
"An instance of a program is placed in an active state when
it is successfully activated by the operating system ...."

How utterly fascinating... this might give Mr Dashwood a bit of insight as
to why, for IBM-style mainframes for at least the past twenty years or so,
all Good Programmers were taught 'always GOBACK, never STOP RUN'.


It might appear that a compiled program definition
(runtime module) when placed in an active state by the
operating system is a "main" program. However, the
concept "main" as it applies to POSIX-type environments
is not universal and the COBOL programming language,
having not been designed specifically for such environments,
simply does not, as far as I can tell, address that concept.

Precisely. According to the definition cited above there are, by my
experience, rather few COBOL programs on IBM-style mainframes that are
'activated by the operating system', successfully or no. COBOL programs
are, overwhelmingly, activated by JCL/REXX/CLIST/etc. or by various
methods in the CICS region... none of which is, as I underatsnd the term,
an 'operating system'.

As to the question of 'why was this taught before FDIS ISO/IEC 1989:2002
existed?'... well, some folks might just be a little ahead of their time,
that's all, and a shop is fortunate to have programmers who benefitted
from their tutelage.

DD

.