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control, labeling of files, and
error recovery procedures.
q.
Program execution control that mana-
ges the flow of program instructions
from one routine to another, includ-
ing the instantaneous transitions
that take place when any interrupt
occurs, the decisions that control
the next program series to be exe-
cuted, the return of control to an
interrupted program, storage alloca-
tion and protection, diagnostic
programs. program loading. and man-
agement of the interval timer.
Processing Programs
•
Processing programs function under
control of operating system control
programs.
•
Some IBM supplied processing pro-
grams are; the System/360 Assembler,
FORTRAN, new programming language,
COBOL, report program generator,
utility programs, and sort/merge
programs.
Complementing the control programs and
functioning under them are those pro-
grams necessary to handle users· speci-
fic data processing needs.
These pro-
grams, known collectively as processing
programs, include application programs
both IBM and user written, compilers,
Report Program Generators, sort/merge,
and utility programs.
Symbolic programming languages and
the programs that translate them
(assemblers and compilers) offer valua-
ble aids to the
program~er
in solving
data processing problems.
The System/360 Assembler language is
a symbolic language that permits the
coding of source programs in convenient,
report program generators, sort/merge,
specialized language. it can be used in
all kinds of applications, including
both commercial and scientific.
The FORTRAN language allows the pro-
grammer to code a mathematical or scien-
tific problem in te.rms closely resem-
bling those he uses in stating the prob-
lem mathematically.
The new programming language has some
features that are characteristic of
FORTRAN and incorporates some of the
best features of other languages, such
as extensive editing capabilities, to
take advantage of recent developments in
computer technology.
The COBOL language provides a conven-
ient method of coding programs in a form
closely resembling the English language,
using the method sponsored by
th~
Con-
ference on Data Systems .Languages
(CODASYL), a cooperative effort by a
number of computer manu.facturers and
users.
The report program generato.r (RPG)
provides a convenient method for produc-
ing a wide variety of reports, using
IBM-provided coding forms.
Utility programs provide the user
with standard, efficient handling of
routine operations involving data trans-
fer between I/O devices.
These include
such operations such as card to printer,
card to punch, card to tape, tape to
tape, tape to punch, tape to disk, and
many others.
The sort/merge program is designed to
satisfy the sorting and merging require-
ments of all tape-oriented or random
storage-oriented IBM System/360 instal-
lations.
It is a generalized program
that can produce many different
sorting/merging programs in accordance
with control information specified by
the user.
1-7
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