Business Controls Corporation Explained

Business Controls Corporation is a privately held computer company[1] that developed an application-program-generator and also a series of accounting software packages. These packages were widely enough used for various business magazines to have back-of-the-book ads for companies seeking accountants with experience in one or more of them.[2]

Computer magazines[3] ran coverage for their SB-5 application-program-generator as from time to time new versions were released, each with new or improved features.[4] [5]

Early days

The company's initial offerings were packages for the DEC PDP-8, although Business Controls Corporation also wrote custom-written programs for customers.

Large customers with mainframes who also used smaller systems for departmental use and distributed processing also used BCC's services.[6] [7]

SB-5

The addition of an application-program-generator named SB-5[8] that, from specifications, could generate COBOL code was a major step forward.[9] Although this began with supporting the DEC PDP-11,[10] they subsequently began to support COBOL on DEC's DECsystem-10 & DECSYSTEM-20.[11] VAX support came later.[12]

The specifications also permitted COBOL inserts and overrides: SB-5 could build an application that was all COBOL,[13] yet only code the portions that varied from BCC's "vanilla" accounting packages.[9]

Similar offerings

A similar idea was done for the IBM mainframe world in the form of a series of application-program-generators from Dylakor Corporation. They were named DYL-250, DYL-260, DYL-270 & DYL-280. Dylakor was acquired by Computer Associates.[14]

The specific syntax was different, but it had wider use, and - a mark of success and recognition in the industry[15] - syntax-compatible implementations were released by a competitor.[16] [17]

Still another alternative was Peat Marwick Mitchell's PMM2170 application-program-generator package.[18] Like the others, it supported COBOL inserts and overrides.

Extended integration

Business Controls Corporation subsequently extended SB-5's feature set to provide support for System 1022, a product for the DECsystem-10 & DECSYSTEM-20;[19] 1022's vendor also had a VAX/VMS (later OpenVMS) product, System 1032.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: livingston . https://web.archive.org/web/20191209174558/https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/RP-Temp/RP14-061.pdf . 2019-12-09.
  2. Web site: Manager - Business Controller - CA/ICWA.
  3. Hardcopy . Automated Programing: BCC's System Builder-5. June 1982 . 42–43.
  4. Computerworld . August 22, 1983 . 40. Business Controls Corp. has announced Version 3.0 of its System Builders-5 Options (SB-5) automated Cobol application software generator.
  5. Web site: Integration Tool For SB-5 Bows. 17 October 1983 .
  6. "It was the committee's feeling that ... vendors who are capable of ... offered by Business Controls Corporation." Web site: October 31-November 1, 1980 Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics, Minutes of Meeting, 5. Status of Major Facilities (b) Computer (1) Proposals for Distributed Data Processing ....
  7. The AIP in 1980. Business Controls Corporation (BCC) has been asked to study AIP's requirements and recommend design, hardware and software for computerization . Physics Today. 1981 . 34 . 8 . 25–35 . 10.1063/1.2914690 .
  8. Systems Builders-5 Web site: Computerworld . March 15, 1982. 46 . BCC announces version 2.3 of its Systems Builders-5 (SB-5).
  9. Hardcopy . January 1983 . 127. New Screen and Report Painting Features for SB-5.
  10. RSX11-M, RSRS/E or IAS: Hardcopy . September 1981 . COBOL Program Generator for VAX/VMS Users . 59.
  11. Hardcopy . January 1983 . 128 . DECsystem-10 and -20 Mainframe Software from Business Controls Corp..
  12. Web site: SB-5 on PDP-11, VAX too. 17 October 1983. Versions of SB-5 are available for DEC'S PDP-11 and VAX minicomputers as well..
  13. Web site: BUSINESS CONTROLS CORPORATION. (BCC). SB-5 Automated COBOL. Application Development System. P. Moore . R. Vines . E. Virgo. Various resources. March 27, 1986.
  14. Web site: DYL-280 Command Syntax. 2018-07-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20180730111004/http://www.sysed.com/DnLoads/RefCards/DYL280.pdf. 2018-07-30. dead.
  15. The dBase syntax was implemented by many competing companies, including Computer Associates
  16. "We have a version of Z-Writer (called ZWDYL) that uses the same syntax as DYL-280 (shown below). That means you can now replace DYL280 ..." Web site: DYL-280 Syntax -- DYL-280 Manual - Pacific Systems Group.
  17. "z/Writer's ZWDYL is an Alternative to CA DYL-260 for your mainframe." Web site: Alternative to DYL-260 - Pacific Systems Group.
  18. PMM trademarked "SYSTEM 2170" Web site: SYSTEM 2170 Trademark of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. ., but the software was distributed as PMM 2170.
  19. Web site: Computerworld . October 17, 1983 . 68. SB-5, 1022 integration. (BCC) has developed an optional software module to integrate its SB-5 automated Cobol software development system with the System 1022 data base.

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