[Info-vax] VMS Cobol - GnuCOBOL

[Dave Froble]

On 2/27/2023 10:37 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> =?UTF-8?Q?Arne_Vajh=c3=b8j?=  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>
>> Even if the company has kept an IT department with
>> software developers, then very few companies has
>> the necessary skill sets or the financials to fund fixing
>> large complex open source software like an OS or
>> a RDBMS.
>>
>> Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, LibreOffice etc. are used
>> by hundreds of thousands or millions of companies
>> world wide. But how many of them could and would
>> take on fixing bugs in the source. I suspect that
>> would be counted in a few thousands.
>
> It's true.  When I was starting out, every big DP shop had a systems
> programmer whose job was to add useful site-specific features to the OS,
> and to do the primary diagnosis when problems were found in the OS.  They
> might not have been able to fix bugs in the source but they could identify
> where they were and they knew who to talk to at 1-800-IBM-CICS to get it
> fixed.

I remember those days ..

> As systems have become more complex and we have developed a greater need
> for such people, we have been training fewer and fewer of them.
>
> You could argue that the need for customized environments is reduced today,
> now that standardized environments are more sophisticated.  I don't agree
> with that at all but it is a thing which could be debated.
> --scott

I'm with you on this.  What I'm seeing is that some "standardized environments" 
is actually "this is what you're going to get, don't ask for more".

Example:  We've told our Codis customers that we're pretty much done.  We 
offered them the software so they could continue to use and maintain it.  Lazy 
bums.  They have been looking at "cloud solutions".  All too often they are 
asking for things and are told "we can't do that".  However, walk over to the 
Codis system, and the same things have been happening for years.

Perhaps "standardized environments" aren't so good for everyone?

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef at tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA  15486