Don Ludlow was an IBM programmer, serving with the company from 1963 to 1992. Don was the principle design and developer and later manager of the Input-Output Supervisor (IOS) component of OS/360 for many years. Later he headed PLS/85 and PLS/86 compiler development.
He also authored the program called SUPERZAP, an FE data change support tool, whose file name is IMASPZAP. He worked in the development of SuperC, a software compare program. SuperC was first released as an IBM System/370 MVS/VM and IBM PC product and later integrated as part of ISPF/PDF V2.3 Utilities.
He received three IBM Outstanding Achievement awards, an Outstanding Innovation award, and an Excellence award. He received an Outstanding Contribution Award in 1967 for early OS/360 system design efforts. Don made numerous disclosure submissions with several being published. He holds two U.S. patents.
After retiring from IBM, Don continued his programming and consulting efforts through his company, DLSuperC. The firm released a shareware family of software for performing super code & file comparison.
Donald was born in Detroit and grew up in Melvindale. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University in 1957 and a Masters of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1960. He joined IBM Poughkeepsie in 1963 as an associate programmer. He relocated to IBM Lexington in 1973 and then to IBM in Reseatch Triangle Park in 1984. During his career, he held various technical and managerial positions in programming, computer design and systems architecture.
“Sometimes you have to put your arms around the problem and embrace it!”
— Don Ludlow
SPECIAL: THE COMPLETE STORY ON SUPERC
IBM Cary Technical Vitality Newsletter
2nd Quarter, 1990 – Volume 3, No. 2
Using SuperC to Compare or search for data
by Donald M. Ludlow
SuperC is a comprehensive compare and search-for program, not a “C” language compiler. It is both an externally available IBM product and a frequently used internal tool. SuperC versions have been developed for most IBM operating systems. Its objectives are to provide objective use, results, and appearance across all supported environments.
Whether you are a programmer, tester, editor, or a computer specialist (expert or novice), SuperC can increase your productivity in your everyday work. It can improve the reliability pf your work by automating tasks that were previously difficult, or impossible, such as regression testing, change tracking, or searching data. In addition, SuperC can help you compile statistics because it counts changes and lines of source as it compares and searches.