The link for downloading VisibleZ is working again. You will get the VisibleZ jar file and a Codes directory that has hundreds of small programs that demostrate a variety of instructions.
Content Moved
I’ve moved 99% of the content that was on my university site to this one. Almost all the links should reference punctiliousprogrammer now. If you have trouble with any of the links, let me know and I’ll provide you the material individually. I am still working on providing a download of VisbleZ.
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
Chasing Bad Links
The university where I store about half of the material on this site has changed something. I’ll talk with them today to find out what has happened. In any case, I’ll get the bad links fixed somehow, but it may take a few days. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
IBM Z Day Tomorrow!
It’ free, it’s here, and well worth your time. Starts September 15 at 8 AM EST. Here’s a link to the agenda:
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
Order a Book, Support the Site
I just published my first novel, The Elvis Bird, on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. It’s a mystery about an ornithologist tracking a presumed extinct bird, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. If you like mysteries, southern lit, ornithology, or Elvis, you might enjoy it. I created an author site at http://dewoolbright.com. You can find links to the book (paper or Kindle), read a couple of chapters on Amazon, and learn a little bit about Ivory-billed woodpeckers as well. All profits from the sale of the book will be donated to charitable organizations that support birds.
One reason I published it was to learn how it’s done. The next book will be called The Little Blue Assembler Book. It requires a lot more formatting, but I’m working diligently to put it out. So, buy a book, support the site and make an old man happy.
Filed under My Books
IBM zDay, September 15
IBM zDay is coming soon, September 15. It’s a chance to catch 150 IBM zSystems experts for free!
Register at >>> ibm.biz/ibmzday-2022
IBM zDay: Sept. 15th, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST
For Students! Special IBM zDay 24-Hr Global Meetup: Starts Sept. 14th! Students and life-long learners from around the world will come together to advance their skills and participate in hands-on coding activities designed for all levels, including our all-new 2022 IBM zStudent Contest.
Free virtual conference designed for all levels – no experience required
Connect, learn, and be inspired by 80 sessions across 5 content-rich tracks:
IBM zSYSTEMS: Build a flexible, AI-infused, sustainable business with IBM zSystems. Accelerate and scale with infrastructure that is optimized at its core to secure your enterprise.
IBM LinuxONE: Build a sustainable infrastructure with IBM LinuxONE, an enterprise-grade Linux server designed to meet the needs of mission-critical workloads in the hybrid cloud.
MODERNIZATION: Build a connected business with IBM zSystems and Cloud. Leverage APIs to extend and access applications and data, and refactor or rewrite existing application code.
COMMUNITY: Learn how our global community is shaping the digital landscape, evolving the tech industry and making the world a better place.
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
Testing, Testing, Testing
After a good bit of experimentation with QSM, a testing plugin for WordPress, I’m happy with the tests I can produce online. I’ve settled on 10 questions per test grouped around a single idea like “Binary Data”. I’ve built ten tests so far, and I’ll keep adding more tests each week until there is a sufficient number of tests to cover a first course.
To take a test, select TEST BANK on the home page and choose a test from a list. The results are displayed online, and you can have them emailed to yourself if you like. Let me know if you uncover an error. Tests, like programs, are difficult to construct, and “punctilious” is a goal for me, and not always reality.
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
Brush Up Your USING Skills
The point of a USING statement is to inform the assembler which register to choose and which displacement to create when generating object code addresses. The IBM System/360 started with a single USING statement. Today, we have access to several different formats for creating USING statements. Are you familiar with them? If not, start here with a discussion of Labeled (or Named) USING statements. This kind of USING has distinct advantages over simple USING statements, especially in situations where the same data structure occurs multiple times and needs to be referenced simultaneously (as in linked lists). Here is some code you can use to play with these ideas.
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
I’m taking a break
I’m dealing with chemo therapy treatments these days, and it’s knocked me for a bit of a loop. I’ll be back to fix a few things on the site when I’m feeling better. The testing feature isn’t working yet, and I want to add a lot more tests. Spoiler alert: I am going to put Visiblez on the web as an application you can run from a browser. Look for it soon!
– David
Filed under IBM Mainframe Assembler
