IBM Mainframe Forum

Pedro wrote:I have not tried it recently, but it used to be that rexx was not able to issue the TSOLIB command, whereas CLIST could. ... (my age is showing)
Also, there were some TSO commands like ACCOUNT and OPERATOR that worked better with CLIST. Maybe even the TSO TEST command was better with CLIST.

Though, if I understand it right:
RACF commands have superseded the ACCOUNT command.
And CONSOLE has superseded the OPERATOR command.
And I am pretty sure RDz is much better than TSO TEST.

TSOLIB - I run a TSOLIB command in a small CLIST just after LOGON, but there is nothing in the CLIST that depends on TSO commands in the new libraries. I do write CLISTs that use programs and commands in the TSOLIB libraries.

OPERATOR and its subcommands run badly in CLIST too.

I've never tried TSO TEST in a CLIST except to start a debug session and enter AT commands, but I wouldn't bet it would work well beyond that.

I've never had RDz.

I don't know how long it's been since I used ACCOUNT! I don't think I ever tried running it in a CLIST. I have run RACF and other commands in CLISTs used to create a new userid.

steve-myers wrote:As Bilyboyo indicated, the original CLIST was an extremely limited capability in the original TSO for OS/360. It was improved to something close to its present form in OS/VS2 Release 1. Rexx was ported over from VM somewhat later, though I don't recall when it was done.

Rexx started to become available in VM/CMS in about 1985, IIRC. Possibly 1984, but definitely before 1986. I'm not sure if it was available on TSO/ISPF by the end on 1987 (we went through a conversion during that period), but I sure remember the awful version of CLIST that was originally on TSO at that time. It was definitely around on TSO by 1991 (I went travelling and ended up working on FACOM for three years - so I'm not sure of the timing).

EXEC2 was an much superior tool at the time, but not nearly as good when it came to structured code. For a time I ended up coding most stuff in Rexx and callin EXEC2 routines to do some of the more powerful functions. Hellishly powerful when you had access to operator console in VM.