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Re:Has Mainframe Computing Inadvertently Started Its Own Cul... by theideaofcoffee on Tuesday May 24, 2022 @10:31PM (#31499973)
There are open-source projects that attempt to do emulation of some of the larger mainframe systems (S/370, ESA/390, z) like [0] but you have a number of things working against you in that. You are more than likely not to find any newer version of, say, z/OS to run. Couple that with the fact that most mainframe programs deployed at FIs like core banking are so heavily customized commercial packages to fit an individual institution's needs, Hogan and similar [1], that they might as well be bespoke, internally developed systems. You may be able to get away with learning the basics of CICS [2] but it would be a struggle, not near as easy as fetching a linux distro ISO.

That said, I personally think that the Z architecture is completely bonkers and I would love the opportunity, like you, to learn it more in depth. My info above comes second-hand from what I've been able to piece together in my own searches.

[0] http://www.hercules-390.eu/ [1] https://www.luxoft.com/banking/core-banking/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CICS , https://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247952.html?Open

Re:Has Mainframe Computing Inadvertently Started Its Own Cul... by ksaj on Tuesday May 24, 2022 @11:52PM (#31500426)
This is a pretty reasonable synopsis. Read my other comment in this thread for related info.

"Z architecture" isn't all that different from the Linux for MVS integration, so it's not all that bonkers. Trying to understand mainframes in terms of Unix/Linux is totally bonkers, though.