Re: COBOL Compiler for Windows

On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:30:08 -0400, Graham Hobbs <ghobbs@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:

>Hello,
>Thanks for the responses. Learning all the time.
>Not only 'not like the price', 'havent got the money'.
>Hercules! For me, a whole new line of research, maybe later.
>MF not MS, sorry.
>Pete, thanks for the history.
>Bill Klein asked for more explanation so ..
> 
>Bill,
>Am retired so have no EMPLOYER and cost is a serious factor especially
>for a project that today might be dubious saleability.
>
>Until a year ago I had an old IBM compiler (VA Cobol V2.2) that runs
>on an old laptop under Windows NT plus DB2 V7.2, CICS for Windows 3.1
>and VSAM KSDS via Pervasive's bTrieve, all 1990's vintage. On this
>laptop I'm developing a software package written in batch Cobol that
>generates Cobol/CICS programs (dinosaurial as it may seem, have gone
>too far to stop). The package is aimed at any platform that runs CICS,
>especially these days it seems, z/OS. 
>
>So the V2.2 compiler I have performs two functions, a) compile/produce
>executables of the batch pgms of my software, b) compile/produce
>executables for the online Cobol/CICS pgms that my software generates.
>
>The old NT laptop grew old, slow and full so I bought a new one. It
>won't accept NT so I opted for Windows XP. My CICS and DB2 work fine
>thereon. The Cobol fails horribly and no fixes available. 
>
>Today the XP laptop has NT running under Microsoft's Virtual PC thus
>some of my development can continue on the NT side.
>
>But the ultimate intent is to email pgms between myself and clients.
>Technically this must be done on the XP side while compilations etc
>must be done on the NT side - is labour intensive and 'almost'
>impractical.
>
>Thus the need for a free/cheap XP Cobol compiler that accepts CICS and
>DB2 commands and produces working executables - in essence goodbye NT.
>
>As you said mainframe emulators are expensive (unless my government
>will give me a grant :-000)))(still choice 1), PWD might be amenable
>(choice 2), a Cobol compiler NT to XP fix was available (choice 3), 
>whatelse?. 
>
>So In contacting the group, I am really looking at the 'whatelse'
>scenario. Hope that better explains my situation.
>Any help appreciated. Thanks
>Graham
>
Have you looked at
http://www-1.ibm.com/sup****t/docview.wss?uid=swg21104993

Not sure if this relates to your problem, as you havent specified it.


I can't test it myself as I dont have VA COBOL. If this is a free
version, then I would not mind testing it myself if you wish and
supply it to me.



Frederico Fonseca
ema il: frederico_fonseca at syssoft-int.com