Since the 1950s, open access to source code has been used to create or adapt software for use on the mainframe to meet the needs of individual businesses. Sam Golob, maintainer of the CBT Tape (a collection of donated open source software for z/OS), says there are components of the z/OS operating system that are over 40 years old, but over time the code has changed and improvements were made either through updates from IBM or open access to the source code.
However, desired enhancements from IBM would often take 10 to 15 years to implement, which is why programmers used that source code access to begin writing their own solutions to their own problems, he says. Businesses today now demand a shorter time to value. “Today’s development is based on a new model of continuous integration and continuous delivery, rather than the legacy waterfall model built on big releases and long lead times,” says Greg Lotko, senior vice president and general manager, Mainframe Division at Broadcom, which is a member of the Open Mainframe Project.
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