SHARE (computing)
Encyclopedia
SHARE Inc. is a volunteer-run user group for IBM
mainframe computer
s that was founded in 1955 by Los Angeles
-area IBM 701
users. It evolved into a forum for exchanging technical information about programming language
s, operating system
s, database system
s, and user experiences for enterprise users of small, medium, and large-scale IBM computers such as IBM S/360
, IBM S/370
, zSeries
, pSeries, and xSeries
.
A major resource of SHARE from the beginning was the SHARE library. Originally, IBM's operating systems were distributed in source form and it was common for systems programmers to make small local additions or modifications and to exchange them with other users. The SHARE library and the process of distributed development it fostered was one of the major origins of open source
software.
SHARE was later incorporated as a non-profit corporation based in Chicago, Illinois and is currently located at 401 N. Michigan Avenue
. The organization produces a newsletter and conducts two major educational meetings per year.
In September 1999, GUIDE International, the other major IBM mainframe users group, ceased operation. Although SHARE did not formally take over GUIDE, many of the activities and projects that were undertaken under the aegis of GUIDE moved to SHARE, and GUIDE suggested to its members that they join SHARE. In August 2000, SHARE took over the guide.org domain name.
Today, SHARE's membership of 20,000 represents some 2,300 enterprise IBM customers.
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
mainframe computer
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
s that was founded in 1955 by Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-area IBM 701
IBM 701
The IBM 701, known as the Defense Calculator while in development, was announced to the public on April 29, 1952, and was IBM’s first commercial scientific computer...
users. It evolved into a forum for exchanging technical information about programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s, operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, database system
Database system
A database system is a term that is typically used to encapsulate the constructs of a data model, database Management system and database....
s, and user experiences for enterprise users of small, medium, and large-scale IBM computers such as IBM S/360
System/360
The IBM System/360 was a mainframe computer system family first announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and sold between 1964 and 1978. It was the first family of computers designed to cover the complete range of applications, from small to large, both commercial and scientific...
, IBM S/370
System/370
The IBM System/370 was a model range of IBM mainframes announced on June 30, 1970 as the successors to the System/360 family. The series maintained backward compatibility with the S/360, allowing an easy migration path for customers; this, plus improved performance, were the dominant themes of the...
, zSeries
ZSeries
IBM System z, or earlier IBM eServer zSeries, is a brand name designated by IBM to all its mainframe computers.In 2000, IBM rebranded the existing System/390 to IBM eServer zSeries with the e depicted in IBM's red trademarked symbol, but because no specific machine names were changed for...
, pSeries, and xSeries
Xseries
Xseries or xSeries may refer to:* Nokia Xseries, a family of mobile phones.* IBM System x, previously eServer xSeries.* X-Series, a mobile broadband offering from 3.* X , a space combat and trading video game series....
.
A major resource of SHARE from the beginning was the SHARE library. Originally, IBM's operating systems were distributed in source form and it was common for systems programmers to make small local additions or modifications and to exchange them with other users. The SHARE library and the process of distributed development it fostered was one of the major origins of open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
software.
SHARE was later incorporated as a non-profit corporation based in Chicago, Illinois and is currently located at 401 N. Michigan Avenue
Michigan Avenue (Chicago)
Michigan Avenue is a major north-south street in Chicago which runs at 100 east south of the Chicago River and at 132 East north of the river from 12628 south to 950 north in the Chicago street address system...
. The organization produces a newsletter and conducts two major educational meetings per year.
In September 1999, GUIDE International, the other major IBM mainframe users group, ceased operation. Although SHARE did not formally take over GUIDE, many of the activities and projects that were undertaken under the aegis of GUIDE moved to SHARE, and GUIDE suggested to its members that they join SHARE. In August 2000, SHARE took over the guide.org domain name.
Today, SHARE's membership of 20,000 represents some 2,300 enterprise IBM customers.
External links
- SHARE Library
- SHARE Reference Manual
- SHARE, Inc. Records, 1955-1994 at Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
, University of Minnesota. - GUIDE International Records, 1970-1992 at Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
, University of Minnesota.