IBM COBOL explained

IBM COBOL compiler
Logo Caption:IBM COBOL language manual with OS/VS compiler extensions, 1975
Developer:IBM
Operating System:Cross-platform
Language:Multilingual
Genre:Software development
License:Proprietary
Website:https://www.ibm.com/products/cobol-compiler-family

IBM has offered the computer programming language COBOL on many platforms, starting with the IBM 1400 series and IBM 7000 series, continuing into the industry-dominant IBM System/360 and IBM System/370 mainframe systems, and then through IBM Power Systems (AIX), IBM Z (z/OS and z/VSE), and x86 (Linux).

At the height of COBOL usage in the 1960s through 1980s, the IBM COBOL product was the most important of any industry COBOL compilers. In his popular textbook A Simplified Guide to Structured COBOL Programming, Daniel D. McCracken tries to make the treatment general for any machine and compiler, but when he gives details for a particular one, they are to the IBM COBOL compiler and for a System/370.[1] Similarly, another popular textbook of the time, Stern and Stern's Structured COBOL Programming, tries to present an implementation-independent explanation of the language, but the appendix giving the full syntax of the language is explicitly for IBM COBOL, with its extensions to the language highlighted.[2]

Use of IBM COBOL was so widespread that Capex Corporation, an independent software vendor, made a post-code generation phase object code optimizer for it.[3] The Capex Optimizer became a quite successful product.[4]

Although the IBM COBOL Compiler Family web site[5] only mentions AIX, Linux, and z/OS, IBM still offers COBOL on z/VM and z/VSE.

Products

The current IBM COBOL compiler family consists of the following products:

IBM COBOL compiler name, version, release, product numbers, GA and EOS dates

!Compiler!Release level!Product number!General availability (GA) date(Year-Month-Day)!End of support (EOS) date(Year-Month-Day)
OS COBOL E360S-C0-503??
OS COBOL F360S-CB-524 ??
OS American National Standard COBOL (COBOL U)Versions 1-2360S-CB-545??
OS Full American National Standard COBOLVersions 1-35734-CB1??
OS Full American National Standard COBOLVersions 4-55734-CB2??
OS/VS COBOLVersion 1 Release 2 Modification 35740-CB11974-09-231999-12-31
OS/VS COBOLVersion 1 Release 2 Modification 45740-CB11976-09-231999-12-31
VS COBOL IIVersion 1 Release 35668-9581988-12-161996-06-30
VS COBOL IIVersion 1 Release 45668-9581993-03-122001-03-31
COBOL/370Version 1 Release 15688-1971991-12-201997-09-30
COBOL for MVS & VMVersion 1 Release 25688-1971995-10-272001-12-31
COBOL for OS/390 & VMVersion 2 Release 15648-A251997-05-232004-12-31
COBOL for OS/390 & VMVersion 2 Release 25648-A252000-09-292004-12-31
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 15655-G532001-11-302004-04-04
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 25655-G532002-09-272005-10-03
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 35655-G532004-02-272007-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 45655-G532005-07-012015-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 4 Release 15655-S712007-12-142014-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 4 Release 25655-S712009-08-282022-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 5 Release 15655-W322013-06-212020-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 5 Release 25655-W322015-02-272020-04-30
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 5 Release 25697-ECV2015-10-062020-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 15655-EC62016-03-182022-09-30
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 15697-V612016-03-182022-09-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 25655-EC62017-09-082024-09-30
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 25697-V612017-09-082024-09-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 35655-EC62019-09-06Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 35697-V612019-09-06Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 45655-EC62022-05-27Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 45697-V612022-05-27Not announced yet
COBOL for Linux on x86Version 1 Release 15737-L112021-04-16Not announced yet
COBOL for Linux on x86Version 1 Release 25737-L112023-06-09Not announced yet
Note:
  1. Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS is the same as Enterprise COBOL for z/OS made available under a different product number and pricing metric.
Check the lifecycle details (lifecycle dates, announcement letters, and other information) for Enterprise COBOL for z/OS products.

External links

IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS related links:

IBM COBOL for AIX related links:

IBM COBOL for Linux on x86 related links:

IBM COBOL Compilers Support:

Notes and References

  1. Book: McCracken, Daniel D. . A Simplified Guide to Structured COBOL Programming . Wiley . 1976 . 0-471-58284-0 . 1, 7–9, 68–69, 78n, 149 .
  2. Book: Structured COBOL Programming . Nancy . Stern . Robert A. . Stern . John Wiley & Sons . New York . 3rd . 1980 . 0-471-04913-1 . x, 4–5, Appendix E (539–561).
  3. News: uncertain . EDP Analyzer . 9 - 10 . United Communications Group . 1971 . 2 - 3 .
  4. News: Users Put 38 Packages on Honor Roll . Don . Leavitt . Computerworld . January 17, 1977 . 23.
  5. Web site: IBM COBOL Compiler Family . IBM .
  6. "IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS Product Page"
  7. "IBM COBOL for AIX Product Page"
  8. "IBM COBOL for Linux on x86 Product Page"
  9. "IBM Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS Product Page"

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "IBM COBOL".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.