S8243: COBOL/LE conversion User Experience
SHARE Technical Conference, August 26, 1999


Abstract: The author will share his experiences converting 100s of COBOL II programs from a mixed COBOL (1968 standard)/Assembler environment to a pure COBOL/LE environment.

The assembler layer that performed dynamic loading and abend recovery termination services was eliminated with only minor syntactical changes to existing COBOL programs. Most assembler programs were either replaced with COBOL/LE services, or re-written in COBOL.

COBOL/LE programs developed by the author will be included in the presentation, including:

  • a compiler printer exit that reduces the volume of printed output with no loss of useful information, a program that
  • identifies 90%++ of the syntactical changes that will be required for COBOL/LE, a program that
  • adds INCLUDE CEEUOPT and SETSSI yyyymmdd to the object deck, and a program that
  • uses LE services to allocate memory and loads external files for
  • binary search table lookups.

    Compiler and LE

  • run-time options, and their effect on ability to detect errors will be discussed and recommended.

    The author has been writing COBOL programs since 1968, and is still an active COBOL programmer. He has completed COBOL II to COBOL/LE conversions for several clients. His most recent conversion effort went "live" on April 1999.

    You are welcome to check the author's website, www.jsrsys.com, for a preview of his presentation as it is being developed. All the sample programs can be downloaded at: www.jsrsys.com/jsrsys/cobol/sample.zip.

    Steve Ryder, Senior Director
    JSR Systems (SHARE Code: JSR)
    2 Margranita Crescent
    Austin, Texas 78703-1717
    sryder@jsrsys.com
    www.jsrsys.com
    512.917.0823


     

    The speaker has been developing COBOL code since 1968. Other "languages" he has used include: Univac 1050 assembler, IBM 360 assembler, CDC Cyber assembler, AutoCoder, Algol, PL/I, Fortran, Pascal, C, C++, Java, and HTML!
    Clients for whom the speaker has developed code include:
    The University of Texas at Austin 1965-1966
    Texas Education Agency 1966-1999
    Houston Ind. School District 1975-1981
    Conroe Ind. School District 1980-1993
    United States Navy 1966-1994
    Capitol Appraisal Group, Inc. 1981-1999

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