[Default] On 11 Mar 2017 16:43:15 -0800, in bit.listserv.ibm-main [email protected] (Bill Woodger) wrote:
>On Sat, 11 Mar 2017 09:46:30 -0600, Paul Gilmartin <[email protected]> >wrote: > >>>> >>>> IBMR Enterprise COBOL for z/OSR is a leading-edge, >>>> >>(except for 64-bit) >> > >Leading Edge is just sales waffle, no content. > >Why, specifically, would "64-bit" (whatever you mean by that) make COBOL >better? You afraid of the playground taunts of "our COBOL has 64-bits yours >doesn't"? > >Enterprise COBOL is now, with the re-write, prepared for 64-bit addressing. >That doesn't mean there's just a button to press, but means that when someone >(clients) think it is a good idea, for good reasons, to have the option to do >that for COBOL, then it is now possible to change the Enterprise COBOL to do >that. > > >Leaving that aside, why? V5+ took the maximum size of a single storage SECTION >of a COBOL program from 128MB to 2GB. Even before that, you could (presuming >you had access to it) reference every single byte of 31-bit-addressable >storage in a single COBOL program. > >You want flames spray-painted on the side otherwise you feel you are somehow >being let down? > >You think it is more "some phrase to make things seem cooler" to be "64-bit" >even at the cost of program performance? > >You want something on like the spoiler on a non-racing car for Enterprise >COBOL? Why? > >Ah. You don't use COBOL, do you? It's not you afraid of the playground >chanters, it's you being one. The issue is not 64 bit or data types like decimal floating point per se. It is how well does Enterprise COBOL fit with the newer environments. For example, I have Sony videos on my computer that are 4+ gigabyte files on my computer before I convert them to MP4's. Will our mainframe programs have to handle such entities, maybe not videos but other artifacts of similar size (and yes this boggles my mind coming from a 4K 1401, 20K RCA 301 and 32K IBM 360)? Would 64 bit COBOL live better with the 64 bit CICS functions? same for DB2? There is a 64 bit Java. Similarly the decimal floating point was added for business purposes and IS in the current COBOL standard. It also is supported by PL1 and C++. DB2 supports it as DECFLOAT as of V9.5 (current is V11). Does it make sense that IBM COBOL can't deal with a data type supported by the Data Base Manager that IBM sells? While I seriously question the longevity of COBOL as in-house code is being replaced by packages at many shops and newer development methodologies based on other languages (Rational supports COBOL development but does it do it as nicely as the other languages?, if COBOL is strategic (BIG IF) then being fully responsive to the environment is needed. Clark Morris > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, >send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
