Is that the concept of Node.js event loop the same as CICS pseudo-conversational programming?

Question

I am asking this question from an architectural point of view. I have been looking up tutorials and blog posts related to Node.js. Apart from a server-side implementation of Javascript, I don't see anything new when compared to the basic concepts used in CICS since the 1970s.

I must admit that the implementation and other technical details are different (PC vs Mainframe, Scripting language vs COBOL, UNIX vs MVS). However, other than those, I don't see any difference.

Can someone offer some insights from the architectural view?

Answer 1

The purpose of CICS psuedo-conversational programming is to release common resources while the user is filling out the screen.

Node.js keeps a single thread for your code while all input / output runs in parallel with your code.

With CICS, the developer has to code in a certain way (psuedo-conversational) so that the shared CICS system would run efficiently. With node.js, the design lets you code without worrying about the underlying architecture.

I'd say that the concepts are different. The developer serves CICS, while node.js serves the developer. It's like the difference between a dictatorship and a facilitator.

Answer 2

Actually they are quite similar in many ways. There are, several important differences in their implementations. Similarities first... both are examples of a monitor style of programming, both react to events in a more or less message passing style and both are designed to keep from blocking on allocated resources. Both also work very well with message passing middleware. CICS code can even be structurally similar (if you ignore the large and mostly mysterious number of constants and bizarre function names). there are also some profound differences, particularly with regards to transactionality, built in security ease of management. While CICS has GUI management, it is a long way from the simplicity of Node. I believe Node is now available natively on mainframes as well.

I realize this is an old question, but thought it deserved an update. The short answer is they are not the same, but that CICS can support a model very similar to node.

Ps... i have written code for both. In some ways CICS seems more friendly in C and Java than Cobol, which is what most people are familliar with. The respondent above is also right in that they do not serve exactly the same purpose although they can be used similarly. Node seems much easier to code for, but requires a lot of libraries and/or external components if you need some of the features that CICS provides out of the box.