Re: [GNU-COBOL] State of the Project

[Laura Tweedy <tweedy@umr.edu>]

Matthew Fischer (mfischer@umr.edu) wrote:>
> 	Well, everyone is back, we all have our books and such...  Chad is
> starting a new job, but we need to get going again on this project before
> we forget about it completely.  I know the current state of my code, but 
> I am not sure what the general direction and general state of the project
> are.  

	Not much progress was made over the semester break, but we're back
in the swing of things again.  The major revelation that Chad and I made about
COBOL is that the Data and Procedure Divisions represent the "actual" code of
the program whereas the rest is related to identification and how to interpret
or compile the program.
	With that new insight, it is important to me that we get a good grammar
of the Data and Procedure Divisions which can be verified as correct.  I would
also like a good semantic translation in English and/or in C.
	While working on this, I'm afraid I don't have anything new for Matt
to do.  I would like to see a columnar/fixed width input library developed.
This was assigned to Justin, but the first part of the development is research
into existing programs or ideas of *how* to do this in C, Matt could help.
I don't really have specifics for that either, so it's just sort of what would
you like to look at.  Chad, if you have any specifics, send them out, please.
	If anyone wants to help me type in/translate COBOL grammar as given
in the standard into EBNF, I would love the help.  Glen, I would like your
help with semantics, too.  If anyone wants to help translate the grammar, let
me know and we'll set up something.  You'll need the SableCC style EBNF and
access to the grammar as defined in the standard.  We can do something sneaky
if you can't get a hold of the grammar.
	The other thing would be if someone wants to make an Imake file or
configure script (probably better since we're trying to be GNU and all) that
would be great.  I have no desire to learn configure, but it is difficult to
move our highly specific Makefiles between systems.

	I'm sorry I don't have better defined tasks for everybody.  Let me
know what everybody wants to do, if anything, and I'll try and get you the
information you need to do work.

laura
-- 
   .. Laura Tweedy .. tweedy@umr.edu ..

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