Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucf1vm.BITNET!news From: news@ucf1vm.BITNET Newsgroups: comp.lang.asm370 Subject: Re: SHARE Survey Message-ID: <9105301521.AA19574@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Date: 30 May 91 15:09:16 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: IBM 370 Assembly Programming Discussion List Distribution: inet Organization: The Internet Lines: 46 This is being posted on INTERNET by dave@visual1.jhuapl.edu. I can also be reached as dave@aplvm.bitnet My thanks to all who have expressed interest in the Survey. I had described this about three months ago, and so I did not realize that a review would be necessary, but the comments make it obvious that it is! The Survey is to be distributed by the Assembler Committee of the SHARE Languages Project, to be sent to all SHARE member sites. We have assembled a list of about 4 dozen requirements against Assembler H, including the SLAC mods, a few other enhancements, and improved hooks for TEST environments. Our intent is to describe an Assembler language which is designed for the 90s (with upward compatibility for existing Assembler H code), and then to describe a decent TSO TEST environment, combining the best features of the TSO TEST command with the kind of debuggers which have been made available for PL/I and FORTRAN (Yes, we know about the Cole debugger, but many of us work in shops which, for shortsighted reasons, will not purchase such an add on (Heck, where I work, they won't even let me put the SLAC mods onto the Assembler!)). John Ehrman (IBM) has worked closely with us; IBM has pointed out two things: 1. Assembler H is not going to be "opened up" more than once; anything which we want, we had better ask for now! 2. IBM will NOT open up the Assembler, without a strong business case that the product is being used, and perhaps that improvements will cause more licenses to be bought. This second case is the rub. We have agreed to distribute and analyze a survey to all SHARE membership (hence the reason that were not just going to send this out over the net). SHARE will pay for printing and mailing, and I (Dave W) will tabulate the results. Dave Andrews did a GREAT job in putting the survey into Ventura form; Sam Golub (and I) designed the initial drafts. Judging by the response on this network in just one day, I am distributing a version of the survey over the networks; I will compile the result and present it as an addendum to the SHARE data. Anyone who requested a copy, who forwards their responses by Email, will not be sent a hard copy. Those (eg GUIDE) who want this in machine readable form, please send me a separate note indicating this! Please return the survey itself as indicated, to my APLVM.BITNET address.