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IBM Mainframe Contest Returns

Posted by timothy on from the blackpowder-enthusiasts dept.

Yellowcake writes "After a successful first year IBM is back with their second iteration of the Student Mainframe Contest. Participants are exposed to a range of mainframe technologies and programming languages such as JCL, REXX, COBOL, and Java. The contest is divided into sections of increasing difficulty, building upon the first, which states "No Experience Necessary"."

8 of 48 comments (clear)

  1. Re:REXX and JCL.... by xPhoenix · · Score: 3, Funny

    You're not supposed to tell students about JCL until AFTER you _hire_ them. Don't want to scare them off too early.

  2. No experience necessary, eh? by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 2, Funny

    me: What's this plug for? The one going from the big mainframe to the wall?

    ibm: That's the power cable, but you never want to unplu---

    *BEOOOoo...*

    ibm: NOOOOOO!

    me: awesome! I hope that noise didn't mean something bad happened.

    --
    stuff |
  3. my favorite prize is... by JackBuckley · · Score: 3, Funny

    Trips to the mainframe lab in Poughkeepsie, NY Second prize is two trips!

  4. *sigh* Always the Americans by nachmore · · Score: 3, Insightful

    IBM seems to have an office all around the world - just like there seems to be students all around the world. So why are these competitions always US only??? There are some amazing student programmers in other countries too...

    1. Re:*sigh* Always the Americans by jhembruff · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Most likely for legal reasons, IANAL but I'm pretty sure the rules for contests and gaming can vary wildly between countries (and even within states/provinces) and if they don't adhere to them they could be in a lot of hot water. Most likely they don't want to spend the money researching/adhering to all these guidlines for everywhere in the world.

  5. The most difficult by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Participants are exposed to a range of mainframe technologies and programming languages such as JCL, REXX, COBOL, and Java. The contest is divided into sections of increasing difficulty, building upon the first, which states "No Experience Necessary".

    The final level of difficulty in mainframe technology is the dreaded "dropped box of punch cards" which they have to sort in the shortest time.

    [this joke may be too old for this audience. :)]

    --
    Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
  6. What does not kill you... by theonetruekeebler · · Score: 2, Informative
    Participants are exposed to a range of mainframe technologies and programming languages such as JCL, REXX, COBOL
    How do you win? Fail to burst into flames? Develop super powers? Hell, just have them bitten by radioactive spiders.
    --
    This is not my sandwich.
  7. Re:REXX and JCL.... by BigCheese · · Score: 2, Insightful

    JCL isn't all that bad. At least the MVS flavor. OTOH allocating extents on VSE...

    --
    The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer. - Edward R. Murrow