computer science

IBM Basic Programming Support

IBM Basic Programming Support is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IBM Basic Programming Support rather than just read about it. In short: IBM Basic Programming Support/360 (BPS), originally called Special Support, was a set of standalone programs for System/360 mainframes with a minimum of 8 KiB of memory. BPS was developed by IBM's General Products Division in Endicott, New York.

Key takeaways

IBM Basic Programming Support belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IBM Basic Programming Support to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IBM Basic Programming Support from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IBM Basic Programming Support/360 (BPS), originally called Special Support, was a set of standalone programs for System/360 mainframes with a minimum of 8 KiB of memory. BPS was developed by IBM's General Products Division in Endicott, New York. The package included "assemblers, IOCS, compilers, sorts, and utilities but no governing control program." BPS components were introduced in a series of product announcements between 1964 and 1965. BPS came in two versions — a strictly punched card system and a magnetic tape based system which, contrary to the stated goals, kept a small supervisor permanently resident. Programming languages available were IBM Basic Assembly Language, IBM RPG, and FORTRAN IV (subset). Tape FORTRAN required 16 KiB of memory. There were also two versions of the BPS assembler, with the tape version having enhanced capabilities. BPS also had a "disk" counterpart called BOS/360. It also required 8 KiB of memory and supported disks such as the IBM 2311. The group responsible for BPS/BOS went on to develop DOS/360 and TOS/360 as a supposed "interim" solution when it became evident that OS/360 would be too large to run on 16 KiB systems. BPS and BOS could be used to run standalone applications on a minimal System/360. One application was the System/360 Work Station for remote job entry to a larger system.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IBM Basic Programming Support

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IBM Basic Programming Support claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IBM Basic Programming Support before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IBM Basic Programming Support ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IBM Basic Programming Support

In research: IBM Basic Programming Support appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IBM Basic Programming Support in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IBM Basic Programming Support is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Discontinued operating systems, IBM mainframe operating systems, Mainframe computer stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IBM Basic Programming Support outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IBM Basic Programming Support in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IBM Basic Programming Support means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IBM Basic Programming Support out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IBM Basic Programming Support in simple terms?

Why does IBM Basic Programming Support matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IBM Basic Programming Support?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IBM Basic Programming Support.