Re: [GNU-COBOL] New to COBOL

[Fred Mobach <fred@mobach.nl>]

Chad Slaughter wrote:

> Fred Mobach wrote :>
> >
> >A long time ago I started with some documentation in this mailinglist on this
> >topic and asked if anybody was interested. As nobody was I stopped submissions.
> >If anyone is interested now I'll restart those submissions (there is already a
> >lack of social life :-) ).
>
> I apologize for not expressing interest. I was very interested in each of the
> articles you sent and saved them off for reference.
> I found them quite enlightening. I didnt mena to discourage you.
>
> I must say they wre quite heady in there content, which made me light
> headed at times. =) But well worth it.

Very well, it took a lot of time to write them and even more as I'm not so familiar
with English (Dutch native), but as long as you like it I'll do my duty and have a
lot of fun :-).


> Maybe you should continue them. and we could build a web text repository out of
> them, instead of sending them to the list. post a simepl update message.
>
> We have web space, if you have the time to write it up.
> if you dont know html, no problme. Actual, I might prefer you not write them
> in html, maybe just plain ascii. ( or docbook/xml if you are feeling frisky =)

No, I don't feel frisky but Yes, I'll write them up in plain ASCII. BTW my son
learned me how to use Bluefish and Weblint to edit well formatted HTML but it's a
lot of extra work as I'm not using it very often. Just point me the place where and
the method how to post.


> which leads me to my next question...
>
> The problem how to get everyone a copy of the std without killing my bank acct?
>
> Also, am i was looking quickly at the std copyright disclaim stuff...it appears
> that we could write our own programming manual and quote/refernce the
> std without problems as long as we acknowledge the std...
> so i think we may be able to interpt cobol..and get a copy of the std out there
> is ppl witha std were to paraphrase maybe...hmmm..i guess this is somethign
> we shoudl think/discuss for about 5 minutes...what about docs for using
> the langauge?? how do we go abut writing up a users/programmers guide
> to our tool??  comments??

Siemens has a lot of manuals in PDF format for their products, some of them are
related to Cobol85. We're still working on Cobol74, but I think it's simpler to
note the differences than to start writing our own. The bad news is that I have
only the German version, but the good news is that there's also an English version.
The best news is that
they're FREE to copy. As soon as I've the English version I'll send to who ? and
how ?


So we need a programming manual, refernece guide.

> Fred, you seem like a untapped wealth of info.
> Combine your already written explain ations of certain cobol features.
> with addtion clearifcations and additions form the std where neccessary.
> and we might have our selfs a programmers/users manual...
> maybe the ppl with std, could paraphrase...re-work sections of the std.
>
> Need to look into how to go aobut doing this. I know the other vendors like
> micro focus have quite extensive explanations in there manuals, even syntax
> diagrams...but those books are not quite up to par with the stand especially
> on the more bizzare features...

See above.

Perhaps off topic but if someone is interested is some Cobol programs to have a
look at it just mail me and tell me what you would like to see : some small
programs ? a very big program ? Both are available.

Regards,

Fred




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