Mainframes as a lifestyle choice

[emersonrsantos]

You can run IBM old OS/360 and many other mainframe OSes using hercules-390 [1], which emulates old and new mainframe architectures and has an active community [2].

[1] http://www.hercules-390.eu

[2] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bercules-390

[snaky]

> It's surprisingly easy to cross the border of native z/OS and the USS border. In fact, there's no border there at all. z/OS is one operating system with two different interfaces. So apart from normal problems and hiccups, you'll probably find that the biggest problem accessing the various services will be getting used to the difference in vocabulary between USS and native z/OS.

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/aix/library/au-bordercross...

[insulanian]

> Part of the reason I took the job ... because I have a fascination with older computer technology.

I was also thinking about going the mainframe route, also because general impression is that the mainframe developer earns big bucks. However, when I started exploring the job offers I was surprised that salaries were not that high at all.

So why is that impression still around, and do mainframe developers really earn significantly more money than a full stack enterprise web developer?

[zhte415]

Mainframe is possibly the most offshored field there is in enterprise technology. There are masses of roles in India and to a lesser extent China and Phillipines where is offers a stable decent paying career for these countries. That's where the base-line and critical mass of roles are.

[snaky]

It depends on what the role is and many other things, the same as it is in any field. Of course, highschooler in Brazil who recently read a half of 'COBOL for dummies' in two weeks would not earn much more than other who choose 'J2EE for dummies'. Deep knowledge and experience could bring significant profit, but the same is true for almost any other industry - maybe J2EE performance consulting for z/OS with CICS would pay more than J2EE performance consulting for AIX with TXSeries but not too much more.

[rbanffy]

> I was also thinking about going the mainframe route

Me too. Sounds fun. Plus, I liked the 3278 a lot.

[digi_owl]

The more i learn about mainframes (and minicomputers) the more i feel that the PC world is basically rediscovering old ideas as ICs become ever more potent.

[snaky]

Not only ICs, the very idea of The Cloud is basically the mainframe as it always was.

[dboreham]

Not necessarily rediscovering, just re-implementing.

[rdtsc]

Speaking of mainframes, my favorite talk on hacking IBM mainframes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfl4spvM5DI

[snaky]

By the way, z/OS is not the only way to run IBM mainframes. There's TPF (Transaction Processing Facility) "because a real operating system is too high level and therefore too slow for real transaction processing needs". Current users of TPF include Sabre, VISA, American Airlines, American Express, HP SHARES (formerly EDS), Holiday Inn, Alitalia, KLM, Amtrak, Marriott International, Travelport, Citibank, Citifinancial, Air Canada, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines and many others.

[PhasmaFelis]

What exactly is a "mainframe" in a modern sense? I thought it exclusively referred to old-fashioned big iron. Is it a cluster? Or are we actually talking about quarter-century-old monoliths running ancient, indispensable code?

[mastax]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_mainframe

These are completely disconnected from commodity hardware. They are descendents of System/360, with a completely custom architecture and "mainframe processors" which only run specific types of code (Java, XML, DB2).

Or that's what I gather from wikipedia anyway.

[StudyAnimal]

It refers basically only to the IBM z/Architecture machines. (I think no one else makes them any more. There were some IBM compatible (heh) Japanese ones recently). You can call a cluster of PCs a supercomputer, but you cant call it a mainframe.(But you can run a cluster, or sysplex, of mainframes. It sounds over the top but it is actually quite common.) They are particularly considered mainframes when they run z/OS and work in batch mode especially running CICS or IMS based applications. As soon as it runs linux, or web services, or more interactive things, the same zSeries machine is slightly less mainframy. (Using USS is less mainframy than using TSO or ISPF btw heh)

[winestock]

Aside from embedded systems, mainframes are the natural state of computers. That is, over time, computers tend to converge on either embedded controllers for appliances, or big racks in back rooms doing big calculations.

http://www.winestockwebdesign.com/Essays/Eternal_Mainframe.h...

Plug: I wrote the above.

[snaky]

"Mainframe" in a modern sense is the Cloud - especially 'private cloud'.

[gaius]

Curious about his point about virtualisation; sure you can't run a VM locally but those mainframe OSs have had excellent support for VMs since the 1960s and are still in many ways far ahead of more mainstream hypervisors.

[83457]

He was talking about local development environment.

[pella]

And has a Golang Port !!!

"Building Go for Linux on z System"

https://github.com/linux-on-ibm-z/docs/wiki/Building-Go

[snaky]

There's more

> The HostBridge JavaScript Engine (HB.js) is server-side JavaScript for CICS® applications and IBM z Systems™ data assets

> HB.js runs inside CICS and supports:

> CICS terminal-oriented (visual) transactions (Orchestrate CICS terminal-oriented transaction micro flows as single services)

> BMS, non-BMS, 3270, and CA application types

> COMMAREA (non-visual) programs (Orchestrate and aggregate transactions, programs (e.g., COMMAREA), and data into single composite services)

> DB2®, VSAM™, DL/I, Datacom®, and other data assets

> Connectivity via HTTP, LINK/EXCI, Enhanced WebSphere MQ Extended Multi-Region Operation (MRO)

https://www.hostbridge.com/index.php/products/javascript-web...

[R_haterade]

Just, why...

[oarsinsync]

> Part of the reason I took the job was the opportunity to get paid to work on compilers, but also because I have a fascination with older computer technology.

It may be worth re-reading the article.

[Retra]

Why what?

[Andys]

They're good for drying undies