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ISPF

In computing, Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF)[1] is a software product for many historic IBM mainframe operating systems and currently the z/OS and z/VM operating systems that run on IBM mainframes. It includes a screen editor, the user interface of which was emulated by some microcomputer editors sold commercially starting in the late 1980s, including SPF/PC.[2]

ISPF primarily provides an IBM 3270 terminal interface with a set of panels. Each panel may include menus and dialogs to run tools on the underlying environment, e.g., Time Sharing Option (TSO). Generally, these panels just provide a convenient interface to do tasks—most of them execute modules of IBM mainframe utility programs to do the actual work. ISPF is frequently used to manipulate z/OS data sets via its Program Development Facility (ISPF/PDF).[3]

ISPF is user-extensible and it is often used as an application programming interface. Many vendors have created products for z/OS that use the ISPF interface.

An early version was called Structured Programming Facility (SPF) and introduced in SVS and MVS systems in 1974.[4] IBM chose the name because SPF was introduced about the same time as structured programming concepts. In 1979 IBM introduced a new version and a compatible product for CMS[5] under Virtual Machine Facility/370 Release 5.

In 1980 IBM changed its name to System Productivity Facility[6] and offered a version[7] for CMS under VM/SP.[8]

In 1982 IBM changed the name to Interactive System Productivity Facility,[9] split off some facilities into Interactive System Productivity Facility/Program Development Facility (ISPF/PDF) and offered a version for VSE/AF.

In 1984 IBM released ISPF Version 2 and ISPF/PDF Version 2; the VM versions[10] allowed the user to select either the PDF editor or XEDIT.

IBM eventually merged PDF back into the base product.

ISPF can also be run from a z/OS batch job.

  1. ^ Michael Rotter (2009). Improving Productivity With ISPF Productivity Tool V6.1. IBM Redbooks. ISBN 978-0-7384-3329-5. introduces the Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) Productivity Tool (IPT)
  2. ^ "SPF-PC1 DOS application started through the Windows ntvdm". July 16, 2020. Background information: ntvdm.exe NTVDM can run at startup. SPF-PC A 16-bit DOS application based on the mainframe editor ISPF editor.
  3. ^ "ISPF/PDF Program Development Functions" (PDF). Interactive System Productivity Facility General Information MVS, VM, and VSE (PDF) (Third ed.). IBM. July 1983. p. 4. GC34-2078-2.
  4. ^ Fosdick, Howard (1987). Using IBM's ISPF dialog manager. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 9780442226268.
  5. ^ Structured Programming Facility/Conversational Monitor System: Program Reference Manual (PDF) (First ed.). IBM. SH20-2409-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  6. ^ System Productivity Facility Dialog Management Services (PDF) (Second ed.). IBM. March 1981. SC34-2036-1.
  7. ^ System Productivity Facility for VM/SP Program Reference (PDF) (First ed.). IBM. March 1981. SC34-2047-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISPF.FunKeys was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Interactive System Productivity Facility General Information MVS, VM, and VSE (PDF) (Third ed.). IBM. July 1983. GC34-2078-2.
  10. ^ Interactive System Productivity Facility Version 2 What's New in ISPF? MVS and VM/SP (PDF) (Second ed.). IBM. October 1984.

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