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From: Richard on 13 Feb 2010 15:09 On Feb 14, 5:50 am, SkippyPB <swieg...(a)Nospam.neo.rr.com> wrote: > On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:29:02 +1300, "Pete Dashwood" > > > > <dashw...(a)removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote: > >SkippyPB wrote: > >> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:52:43 -0700, Howard Brazee <how...(a)brazee.net> > >> wrote: > > >>> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:15:07 -0800 (PST), "j...(a)wexfordpress.com" > >>> <j...(a)wexfordpress.com> wrote: > > >>>> Of course one can also write useful programs in Open Cobol. > > >>> I really have no idea what kind of hobbyist program I would want to > >>> write in CoBOL. > > >>> CoBOL has one huge advantage for me - I know it well. But what am I > >>> going to write that's useful or fun for me on my home computer? > > >>> For me, a useful CoBOL program is one that someone pays me for. > > >> If I could write programs in Cobol for use on the PC with gui and all, > >> I have several things in mind that I'd like to do. > > >Well, you can. OC would support a GUI interface to COBOL. > > >>I could these > >> things in CICS utilitzing VSAM files also, but I doubt my clients > >> would like what I have in mind on their mainframes and it certainly > >> wouldn't be as pretty. > > >Why not? You could use the OC COBOL screen section and exactly duplicate > >anything that happens with CICS on a mainframe. > > Yikes, I guess I wasn't clear at all in my original post. It would > absolutely be prettier and better on a PC using gui than on the > mainframe in CICS which is really text based screens with a few > enhanced attributes thrown in for good measure. 'Prettier' and 'better' and not synonymous not even necessarily related. It is not difficult to build a GUI. There are examples of OpenCOBOL using GTK+, though I suspect that it may be preferable to create a web- based user interface using CGI. > >In another lifetime I wrote a screen painter that enables you define a CICS > >(or IMS/DC) screen. You "draw" your screen on a green screen and hit a > >button when you are happy with it. The system then generates a COBOL > >definition of the buffer (including attribute bytes for 3270, that actually > >work on the PC as well), a CICS BMS buffer, an IMS/DC MID/MOD, and a PC > >COBOL module that handles the screen display. (You interface to it using the > >generated buffers...just as you would in CICS or IMS/DC, except that it all > >runs on a PC...). It was all part of a system I developed which (back in the > >days when these things mattered) allowed a system to be developed on a PC > >but run on a number of different mainframes or PC architectures. It was > >called "ACE" (Application Control of the Environment) and, the last I > >heard, is still running in a major Bank in Spain. ACE was all about > >separating display and database access from Business Logic. Today, this is > >taken as read in most Object Oriented communities, but at the time it was > >quite revolutionary. (ACE is written entirely in procedural COBOL). The > >major advantage for the Bank was that it enabled their existing VSAM system > >to convert easily to IMS/DB/DC and, later, DB2, with no major impact on > >their applications. > > My employer has as part of the software suite that I support a "screen > painter" which pretty much does what you describe. We've had it > available since the mid 80's. You define your screen in CICS using > our tools and then you run a batch program that generates a Cobol > copybook for the map to be used in a program. > > I recall there being an IBM utility available many years ago (forgot > its name) that allowed you to design a screen and it would generate > the map copybook all in batch. > > Both those tools are great for folks who don't want to take the time > to learn how to code the Assembler macroes to generate the map code. > Even though I could do those in my sleep, I'm getting lazy in my > advanced years and like using our tools better. > > >I had the idea for it while I was soaking in some hot springs near where I > >live. (I was home for Christmas from Europe...) Nowadays, I go to these same > >hot springs and have had many useful and financially beneficial ideas while > >relaxing there (including aspects of the PRIMA Migration Toolset).. I can > >recommend hot spring therapy if you are stuck with a problem... :-) > > >Point is, Steve, if you want to have a crack at emulating a CICS system on a > >PC, I'll GIVE you the source code for ACE as a present. (always assuming I > >can find it, of course) It would be on a machine that has been mothballed > >many years ago. In fact, I think I recall using Micro Focus COBOL and ADIS > >for it, so it would be on a Windows 3.1 machine. (16 bit). Nevertheless, it > >is all COBOL source, and, as such, should be recompilable to 32 or 64 bit. > > Thanks, but that is not my aim. > > >(If anyone is seriously interested in playing with this, mail me. It is > >sitting there doing nothing and it took many months to develop. I'll gladly > >give it away ot a good home... :-)) > > >BOTTOM LINE: Emulating a mainframe on a PC is really no big deal; emulating > >a PC on a mainframe is much more difficult... :-) > > >Pete. > > Regards, > -- > //// > (o o) > -oOO--(_)--OOo- > > "An oral contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." > -- Sam Goldwyn > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Remove nospam to email me. > > Steve
From: Philip Chaston on 16 Feb 2010 10:54 On Feb 13, 7:29 am, "Pete Dashwood" <dashw...(a)removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote: > SkippyPB wrote: > > On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:52:43 -0700, Howard Brazee <how...(a)brazee.net> > > wrote: > > >> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:15:07 -0800 (PST), "j...(a)wexfordpress.com" > >> <j...(a)wexfordpress.com> wrote: > > >>> Of course one can also write useful programs in Open Cobol. > > >> I really have no idea what kind of hobbyist program I would want to > >> write in CoBOL. > > >> CoBOL has one huge advantage for me - I know it well. But what am I > >> going to write that's useful or fun for me on my home computer? > > >> For me, a useful CoBOL program is one that someone pays me for. > > > If I could write programs in Cobol for use on the PC with gui and all, > > I have several things in mind that I'd like to do. > > Well, you can. OC would support a GUI interface to COBOL. > > >I could these > > things in CICS utilitzing VSAM files also, but I doubt my clients > > would like what I have in mind on their mainframes and it certainly > > wouldn't be as pretty. > > Why not? You could use the OC COBOL screen section and exactly duplicate > anything that happens with CICS on a mainframe. > > In another lifetime I wrote a screen painter that enables you define a CICS > (or IMS/DC) screen. You "draw" your screen on a green screen and hit a > button when you are happy with it. The system then generates a COBOL > definition of the buffer (including attribute bytes for 3270, that actually > work on the PC as well), a CICS BMS buffer, an IMS/DC MID/MOD, and a PC > COBOL module that handles the screen display. (You interface to it using the > generated buffers...just as you would in CICS or IMS/DC, except that it all > runs on a PC...). It was all part of a system I developed which (back in the > days when these things mattered) allowed a system to be developed on a PC > but run on a number of different mainframes or PC architectures. It was > called "ACE" (Application Control of the Environment) and, the last I > heard, is still running in a major Bank in Spain. ACE was all about > separating display and database access from Business Logic. Today, this is > taken as read in most Object Oriented communities, but at the time it was > quite revolutionary. (ACE is written entirely in procedural COBOL). The > major advantage for the Bank was that it enabled their existing VSAM system > to convert easily to IMS/DB/DC and, later, DB2, with no major impact on > their applications. > > I had the idea for it while I was soaking in some hot springs near where I > live. (I was home for Christmas from Europe...) Nowadays, I go to these same > hot springs and have had many useful and financially beneficial ideas while > relaxing there (including aspects of the PRIMA Migration Toolset).. I can > recommend hot spring therapy if you are stuck with a problem... :-) > > Point is, Steve, if you want to have a crack at emulating a CICS system on a > PC, I'll GIVE you the source code for ACE as a present. (always assuming I > can find it, of course) It would be on a machine that has been mothballed > many years ago. In fact, I think I recall using Micro Focus COBOL and ADIS > for it, so it would be on a Windows 3.1 machine. (16 bit). Nevertheless, it > is all COBOL source, and, as such, should be recompilable to 32 or 64 bit.. > > (If anyone is seriously interested in playing with this, mail me. It is > sitting there doing nothing and it took many months to develop. I'll gladly > give it away ot a good home... :-)) > > BOTTOM LINE: Emulating a mainframe on a PC is really no big deal; emulating > a PC on a mainframe is much more difficult... :-) > > Pete. > -- > "I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - I would be interested in doing something with this . If you would like to email me to Philip.Chaston(a)sky.com ( Zip file ) . I last programmed in cobol in the early 90's before moving to PC's having spent around 15 years on cobol. regards Philip Chaston
From: Pete Dashwood on 16 Feb 2010 21:10
Philip Chaston wrote: > On Feb 13, 7:29 am, "Pete Dashwood" > <dashw...(a)removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote: >> SkippyPB wrote: >>> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:52:43 -0700, Howard Brazee >>> <how...(a)brazee.net> wrote: >> >>>> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:15:07 -0800 (PST), "j...(a)wexfordpress.com" >>>> <j...(a)wexfordpress.com> wrote: >> >>>>> Of course one can also write useful programs in Open Cobol. >> >>>> I really have no idea what kind of hobbyist program I would want to >>>> write in CoBOL. >> >>>> CoBOL has one huge advantage for me - I know it well. But what am I >>>> going to write that's useful or fun for me on my home computer? >> >>>> For me, a useful CoBOL program is one that someone pays me for. >> >>> If I could write programs in Cobol for use on the PC with gui and >>> all, I have several things in mind that I'd like to do. >> >> Well, you can. OC would support a GUI interface to COBOL. >> >>> I could these >>> things in CICS utilitzing VSAM files also, but I doubt my clients >>> would like what I have in mind on their mainframes and it certainly >>> wouldn't be as pretty. >> >> Why not? You could use the OC COBOL screen section and exactly >> duplicate anything that happens with CICS on a mainframe. >> >> In another lifetime I wrote a screen painter that enables you define >> a CICS (or IMS/DC) screen. You "draw" your screen on a green screen >> and hit a button when you are happy with it. The system then >> generates a COBOL definition of the buffer (including attribute >> bytes for 3270, that actually work on the PC as well), a CICS BMS >> buffer, an IMS/DC MID/MOD, and a PC COBOL module that handles the >> screen display. (You interface to it using the generated >> buffers...just as you would in CICS or IMS/DC, except that it all >> runs on a PC...). It was all part of a system I developed which >> (back in the days when these things mattered) allowed a system to be >> developed on a PC but run on a number of different mainframes or PC >> architectures. It was called "ACE" (Application Control of the >> Environment) and, the last I heard, is still running in a major Bank >> in Spain. ACE was all about separating display and database access >> from Business Logic. Today, this is taken as read in most Object >> Oriented communities, but at the time it was quite revolutionary. >> (ACE is written entirely in procedural COBOL). The major advantage >> for the Bank was that it enabled their existing VSAM system to >> convert easily to IMS/DB/DC and, later, DB2, with no major impact on >> their applications. >> >> I had the idea for it while I was soaking in some hot springs near >> where I live. (I was home for Christmas from Europe...) Nowadays, I >> go to these same hot springs and have had many useful and >> financially beneficial ideas while relaxing there (including aspects >> of the PRIMA Migration Toolset).. I can recommend hot spring therapy >> if you are stuck with a problem... :-) >> >> Point is, Steve, if you want to have a crack at emulating a CICS >> system on a PC, I'll GIVE you the source code for ACE as a present. >> (always assuming I can find it, of course) It would be on a machine >> that has been mothballed many years ago. In fact, I think I recall >> using Micro Focus COBOL and ADIS for it, so it would be on a Windows >> 3.1 machine. (16 bit). Nevertheless, it is all COBOL source, and, as >> such, should be recompilable to 32 or 64 bit. >> >> (If anyone is seriously interested in playing with this, mail me. It >> is sitting there doing nothing and it took many months to develop. >> I'll gladly give it away ot a good home... :-)) >> >> BOTTOM LINE: Emulating a mainframe on a PC is really no big deal; >> emulating a PC on a mainframe is much more difficult... :-) >> >> Pete. >> -- >> "I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."- Hide quoted text - >> >> - Show quoted text - > > I would be interested in doing something with this . If you would like > to email me to Philip.Chaston(a)sky.com ( Zip file ) . I last programmed > in cobol in the early 90's before moving to PC's having spent around > 15 years on cobol. > > regards > > Philip Chaston OK Philip. You can have a non-exclusive licence to this (I retain intellectual property rights), and can use it any way you like and for whatever purposes you like, as long as you don't sell it. (If you sell it or make money out of it, I want a (very small) slice of the action :-)) As you appear to be new here and I don't know you (sorry if you have posted before and I missed it...) I'll contact you privately. Now I just need to locate the ACE source code... :-) Pete. -- "I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything." |