Where do i go from here?

Information Center Facility – If you have access to the Information Center Facility, you probably have access to all three environments (Information Center Facility, ISPF/PDF, and line mode TSO/E) and can read consecutively through the entire document.

ISPF/PDF – If you do not have access to the Information Center Facility but you can access ISPF/PDF, read Using panels and then skip to Using ISPF/PDF and read through the rest of the document.

Line mode TSO/E – If you do not have access to either the Information Center Facility or ISPF/PDF, go to Using line mode TSO/E and continue to read through the sections labeled LMT.

The following chart summarizes the three environments and gives the advantages of each, the suggested tasks for each, and where in this document to find information about them.

Table 1. Summary of three environments of TSO/E
Information Center Facility	ISPF/PDF	Line mode TSO/E
Description	Description	Description
Panels that help you access services and products offered by your installation.	Panels that help you maintain libraries of information.	A command language that interacts directly with the MVS™ operating system.
Advantages	Advantages	Advantages
Easy for beginners to use. The panels have directions and available help. Can access different services and products from one place.	Easy for beginners to use. The panels have available help. Can do library maintenance tasks from one place. Provides a powerful editing tool.	Commands are more direct than panels. Commands work faster than panels.
Recommended tasks	Recommended Tasks	Recommended Tasks
Tasks involving office tools and office management, such as: Receiving installation news Using a names directory Sending and receiving mail Registering for and taking a computer course Accessing other products to perform data analysis, graphics, and so on.	Tasks involving data processing and text processing, such as: Creating and editing data sets Printing data sets Using installation- defined dialogs.	Tasks involving interaction with the MVS operating system, such as: Logging on and off the system Creating data sets Sending messages and data sets to other users Issuing commands set up by your installation.
Where to find information	Where to Find Information	Where to Find Information
Chapters 2, 3, 4 and look for the ICF symbol.	Chapters 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and look for the PDF symbol.	Chapters 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 and look for the LMT symbol.