Sharing My Passion for z/OS and Modern Mainframe Development
Hi, and welcome to my blog!
My name is Mike, and I’ve been working with z/OS and the mainframe ecosystem for about 10 years now. But my journey started long before that—back in my spare time, exploring retro operating systems like MVS 3.8j. What began as a personal curiosity quickly grew into a deep fascination with the inner workings of IBM mainframes.
Eventually, I had the opportunity to bring my Java experience into a professional z/OS development team. Since then, I’ve been passionate about everything from system-level programming in C and HLASM to modernization efforts and open-source tooling on z/OS. In my spare time I’ve worked on everything from porting an open-source REXX interpreter to MVS 3.8j to imlementing kind of z/OSMF API compatible server on retro systems. Yes, I love getting deep into the system.
Outside of work, I try to give back—especially by sharing—what I’ve learned with both newer and more experienced developers. I help junior colleagues get comfortable with the mainframe, and I also enjoy introducing “seasoned” developers to modern tools and techniques like VS Code, UNIX System Services (USS), and the zopen tools.
Three years ago, I was honored to become an IBM Champion. That recognition means a lot to me, because it reflects what I love most: exploring the z/OS platform deeply and helping others navigate it too.
So, why this blog?
Simply put, I want to share my experience and enthusiasm. I’ve learned a lot over the years—often the hard way—and I know how challenging it can be to bridge the gap between traditional mainframe development and modern software practices. My hope is that others will find value here—whether you’re just getting started with z/OS, a fellow retrocomputing geek, or someone deep into porting tools and writing C code for USS.
I’ll be writing about a variety of topics, including:
- Low-level development in C, High-Level Assembler, Go, and Java under z/OS
- Open source tools and how they can be adapted for the platform
- Porting experiences and gotchas
- Real-world modernization efforts from the trenches
My next post will be a technical one: how to use the JES Symbol Service (IAZSYMBL) from a C program. So stay tuned!
I’m always eager to learn and exchange ideas—so if anything here resonates, reach out or leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading,
Mike