Feedback from a student; additional software.

[Vincent Schramer]

Greetings all,

I accomplished CSCI 360 over the summer and experimented with using the mainframe simulator.  The features of the GUI are nice but the bugs I experienced caused me to avoid using that portion. However the underlying simulator worked nice (after I avoided using some of the JCL headers we are taught to use.)  This was especially handy when I was not connected to the internet and wanted to continue working on assignments. Ultimately the assignments have to run properly on the actual mainframe for grading, so I looked for easy ways to do that beyond TSO and MarFTP.

While reading on the Unix FTP submission tutorial on the department website, I got the idea to implement it automatically in a script that I'm calling JESftp. The result is a command similar to zsub (though, I didn't use stdin) but sends the job to the actual mainframe via FTP interface. I imagine it works the same way as MarFTP when communicating with the mainframe, but does so without user interaction allowing for rapid submission, retrieval, and deletion of jobs on the mainframe.  Sometimes the narrow and unconventional interface of ISPF is half the problem with writing the assignments.

Here is the repository for the script.

JESftp: http://github.com/scvnc/JESftp

I also looked around for other solutions out there.  Has anyone experimented with the Hercules emulator?  There seems to be enough of the IBM operating system (and ASSIST) in the public domain now that it's quite possible to emulate the real IBM assembler and OS on anyone's PC for educational purposes.  I haven't had time to investigate, but apparently it's not terribly difficult from the feedback I've read.

--

Vincent Schramer

[Tony Zhang]

Nice work!

I believe marFTP works the same way. Talk to prof Berezinski if you'd like to know how exactly marFTP works.

I noticed that you are manually selecting newline characters based on the OS. From my understanding, python should handle it for you. Is it not doing so when using FTP? Have you tried and confirmed that \n alone will not work on Windows?

By the way, are you interested in working on the zPE project? I would certainly like to see some people carrying the project onwards.
--
Tony (Chi Zhang)

# Sent from my mobile device.

[Vincent Schramer]

I think there was some bug in the ftp library's writeline method where you have to enter the newline character manually.

Yes, I am interested in contributing to the zPE project when I have the time and motivation.

[Georgia Brown]

Great. You could maybe do it as an independent study in the spring or next fall. Let me know or stop by my office (pm 556) if you want to talk about it.
Georgia

[Vincent Schramer]

I would be interested in building a Web GUI (probably by building a plugin for http://ace.ajax.org/ ,) and then binding it to zsub, JESftp, or Hercules MVS for assembly/execution options.  I don't think I have room for independent study as far as I know.

[Nickolas Ruhe]

A web GUI huh? That would be really, really interesting actually. If something like that is to be worked on, count me in. Web development is my specialty.

[Georgia Brown]

Yeah that could be s good thing. Would you plan to use the existing python?

[Vincent Schramer]

The simulator portion of the python code is valuable and I would like to see that grow.

My interest in a web GUI is from that I have been tutoring students remotely using Etherpad  (http://typewith.me).

The real-time collaborative element is extremely valuable.  It would just be nice to have a quick button that sends the code someplace to be executed.  This doesn't have to be limited to assembler things too.

I have been playing with this nice javascript library as one avenue of doing this: http://sharejs.org/ . Perhaps a quicker avenue is binding with the etherpad API to download pad contents, zsub it, and write the output to another pad.

Nickolas, we should meet sometime and discuss this in detail.  I'm generally free Wednesday mornings.

Georgia, I'd be glad to visit your office hours as well.

[Georgia Brown]

I am really busy during Oct. Can we try and meet early in Nov?

[Nickolas Ruhe]

@Vincent,

Tuesday works best for me as I have a nice slot available between 12:15-2:00, but if your only time is Wednesday before 11:00, then that will work for me. I am rather curious as to what your eventual goal is. So, would users be able to edit their programs within this web interface, send it to an external source to be executed, and have their data returned and displayed to them through some sort of ajax call with the output displaying as though they had done this on their local machine?

[Vincent Schramer]

I also have a convenient spot between 12:15-2 on Tuesday.

More or less that is what a user of this tool could do. Now that I think about it some more, my eventual goal is to contribute to an open source, minimalistic, more deployable-friendly version of Cloud9 IDE http://c9.io.  The best feature it has is the fact that 2+ people can work on a code code in real time just like two or more people can work on a google document in real time.  Synchronous operational transformation is the future.

In relation to mainframe, two features would have to be added to such a project:

1. Job submission options: zsub, JESftp, hercules.
2. Syntax completion and highlighting plugin for the javascript editor.

[Georgia Brown]

Ok, I can't meet on Tuesday until the first Tuesday in Nov. Lets plan to try and meet then, after everyone votes!
Georgia

[Nickolas Ruhe]

We should probably meet now that I have more time available. I can show up the Tuesday before thanksgiving or I have some time today. You guys can choose.

[Vincent Schramer]

I can't seem to catch a break this semester, but I'll ramble on about ideas for a bit.   My windows on Tuesdays are before 11; 12:15-2;  3:15-5.  

[Georgia Brown]

I can't make it today and not in the morning next week. I could come out in the afternoon, 3ish?
G

[Vincent Schramer]

Sounds like a good plan.

[Nickolas Ruhe]

I can't, I will be working. What time do you have available? I have after 3 tomorrow.

[Georgia Brown]

I'm in class then. The Tuesday after thanksgiving in the morning?

[Nickolas Ruhe]

Yeah, sounds good.

[Georgia Brown]

I will be in my office Tue 11/27 from 9:30-noon if you want to stop by and talk about options for the assembler.
Georgia

[Vincent Schramer]

I'll plan on it-- I should be there at 9:30.

[Nickolas Ruhe]

I will be a little bit later, like around 10:30. I will get there earlier if I can. Sorry, just noticed the email this morning.

[Georgia Brown]

No problem. I''ll be there all morning. This is preliminary to see what we(you) are all interested in doing and have time for.
G