ISPF meaning in Information Technology ?

In computing, Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) is a software product for many historic IBM mainframe operating systems and currently the z/OS and z/VM operating systems that run on IBM mainframes. It includes a screen editor, the user interface of which was emulated by some microcomputer editors sold commercially starting in the late 1980s, including SPF/PC.

ISPF primarily provides an IBM 3270 terminal interface with a set of panels. Each panel may include menus and dialogs to run tools on the underlying environment, e.g., Time Sharing Option (TSO). Generally, these panels just provide a convenient interface to do tasks—most of them execute modules of IBM mainframe utility programs to do the actual work. ISPF is frequently used to manipulate z/OS data sets via its Program Development Facility (ISPF/PDF).

ISPF is user-extensible and it is often used as an application programming interface. Many vendors have created products for z/OS that use the ISPF interface.

An early version was called Structured Programming Facility (SPF) and introduced in SVS and MVS systems in 1974. IBM chose the name because SPF was introduced about the same time as structured programming concepts. In 1979 IBM introduced a new version and a compatible product for CMS under Virtual Machine Facility/370 Release 5.

In 1980 IBM changed its name to System Productivity Facility and offered a version for CMS under VM/SP.

In 1982 IBM changed the name to Interactive System Productivity Facility, split off some facilities into Interactive System Productivity Facility/Program Development Facility (ISPF/PDF) and offered a version for VSE/AF.

In 1984 IBM released ISPF Version 2 and ISPF/PDF Version 2; the VM versions allowed the user to select either the PDF editor or XEDIT.

IBM eventually merged PDF back into the base product.

ISPF can also be run from a z/OS batch job.