The IBM Type-III Library was software provided by IBM to its customers, available without charge, liability, or support, and typically in source-code format. The best known examples are for mainframe software, but IBM also used this same classification on smaller systems. IBM also distributed other systems in source code form. Most early operating systems were shipped in this way. Source distribution of the VM family of operating systems continued for several decades after it supplanted CP/CMS from the Type-III Library, and TPF was always distributed in source form, apparently continued today with z/TPF. Unlike Type-III software, such systems were supported by IBM.
During the mainframe era, IBM made a wide variety of programs available to its customers. Programs were offered in two broad categories. The first category of programs were IBM developed and supported. These were termed Type I and Type II. These programs were subjected to formal testing and were maintained by IBM. The second category of available programs were termed Type III and Type IV programs. Type III and Type IV were programs of general interest contributed to the ProgramInformation Department for distribution. These programs and their documents were distributed in the author's original form and were not subjected to any formal testing. These libraries were maintained by the IBM Program Information Department, headquartered in Hawthorne, New York, with its distribution center in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, which published separate catalogs for each compatible family of IBM Processors.
An IBM publication on CP/CMS characterized IBM's Type-III products as "IBM employee contributed" and further characterized them as follows:
Originally, these programs were not individually priced, but were provided at no cost as part of IBM’s service. In 1969, IBM “unbundled,” separately pricing hardware, software, and services. The Type-III library was eventually replaced by several different product designations. Programs contributed by customers were known as "Installed User Programs" and those developed by IBM employees as "Field Developed Programs". The "field developed" moniker was something of a misnomer, as quite a few FDPs were written by employees in the IBM programming groups rather than by field personnel.
Products
Some of the many Type-III programs offered by IBM include:
