John Cleese spoof ads for IBM

[brightncheerful]

Brilliant?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX-HJRoeEX8

[Raptor]

Never saw these before. Strange referencing the 3750 as that was my ticket to joining IBM as it was a telephone system and I was a "clerk of works" in BT with responsibility for the little beauties, made me a fortune as no-one else would touch these "damn computers". Also the Greenford Green reference, brings back memories of trawling through the centre for tape machines....

My experience of John Cleese in those days was his corporate videos like, "who sold you this then", this was an updated version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nwg96d8g3I. The original here has bad sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z7u3ZuP6nk

Raptor.

[Clariman]

3750?! By 'eck. I bet you know all about NCP and VTAM then Raptor

[Leothebear]

Gosh NCP, VTAM, CICS, TSO, IMS,JCL and a hundred other acronyms I cannot remember.
A lot of this stuff still in use on mainframes in large companies. All expertise made redundant and their work outsourced to India or wherever. Now they hardly
have a clue how to maintain it let alone replace it.

[Raptor]

REXX, Assembler, I can go on and usually do. What is strange I can remember all the coding rules and modules from the 3750 system to this day, but struggle with HTML ....

Now how about this for something weird (ok off topic but is strange). 30 years ago I came back to the UK from the US as my marriage was in nose-dive mode, as I did not want to carry on in the role as UK hardware support as I was going to be a single father (yes at the time that was very unusual), one of my old mentors suggested switiching over to software support where I took on the role of level 2/3 support on DB/DC and became a database specialist on CICS, IMS, DB2 and SQL. One of the systems that we supported was Tesco's, 30 years on and part of my role is using their "green screen" system for day to day stock management, which is IMS and hasn't changed a bit in 30 years, if it works don't fix it.

And no I am not going to expand all the acronyms to the full......

Raptor...... (i'll get my coat)

[Clariman]

Job Control Language, Network Control Program, Customer(?) Information Control System, Time Sharing Option, Structure Query Language, Virtual Telecommunications Access Method, Information Management System, Database 2

ISPF, VSAM, QSAM, VSE ....

[NotoriousCanary]

My first job was designing mainframe processors for Burroughs/Unisys.

The acronyms were so overwhelming for newcomers that we were all issued with a small booklet containing all the acronyms that we were likely to encounter in the course of our work.

One of the acronyms in the book was TLA which stood for ..... Three Letter Acronym! I kid you not.

..NC

[robbelg]

IBM TLA AMD FAN




(Air Movement Device)

[Raptor]

I remember staying in a hotel in Toronto with a colleague and we were bemused by a big sign welcoming IBM. It wasn't in the company logo though. Turned out it was the "International Brethren of Magicians"...... (mind you must of us referred to it as I've Been Married)

Raptor.

[Rob625]

One of the acronyms in the book was TLA which stood for ..... Three Letter Acronym! I kid you not.
..NC

Yes, but do you know what ETLA stands for?

[Instep]

Yes, but do you know what ETLA stands for?

FLAB

[PinkDalek]

Yes, but do you know what ETLA stands for?

An ExtendedTLA and an Extended Tape Library Architecture!

You did ask.

[Rob625]

Yes, Extended Three Letter Acronym was what I had in mind. I still like it.

FLAB? Four Letter ... . Sorry, enlighten me!

[AleisterCrowley]

IMS means something different to me - it's a 'nested acronym' for IP Multimedia Subsystem
CAS(T) is another stinker

I've never worked out WOOC(P)....

[Grumpi]

I remember, back in the '60s, opening the back door of one of the IBM processor cabinets to check that the filament coils in the valves were all glowing nicely, ready and eager to plink any that might be flickering.
Them were the days.
As for TLAs there seem to be several candidates on this topic page to start a new chapter of W.H.A.LE, the We Hate Acronym LEague.

[Instep]

Yes, Extended Three Letter Acronym was what I had in mind. I still like it.

FLAB? Four Letter ... . Sorry, enlighten me!

... abbreviation.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sourc ... ww_MGSDd3A

[RF9R]

Job Control Language, Network Control Program, Customer(?) Information Control System, Time Sharing Option, Structure Query Language, Virtual Telecommunications Access Method, Information Management System, Database 2

ISPF, VSAM, QSAM, VSE ....

NCP - we would more likely be talking about a Network Communication Processor I think.
RF9R

[Clariman]

Job Control Language, Network Control Program, Customer(?) Information Control System, Time Sharing Option, Structure Query Language, Virtual Telecommunications Access Method, Information Management System, Database 2

ISPF, VSAM, QSAM, VSE ....

NCP - we would more likely be talking about a Network Communication Processor I think.
RF9R

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Netwo ... ol_Program

I win!

The 3705 and 3745 were the Front End Processors that managed network communications. Network Control Program (NCP) was the software that ran on the comms processors. NCP worked in conjunction with VTAM on the main computer.