Creating a New Standard for Mainframe COBOL


Yes, that is right, the words "new" and "COBOL" in the same heading.

As you know, the current COBOL standard is the ISO/ANSI 85 standard (which replaced the ANSI 74 standard). During recent years , there have been only two amendments to the COBOL 85 standard (basically, intrinsic functions in 1989 and several corrections in 1993).

Now, ladies and gentlemen (drum roll, please ), allow me to introduce the ANSI X3J4 committee. This group is working to create the next COBOL standard. Both the Draft International Standard (DIS) review and the Published International Standard (IS) are scheduled for 2002.

Cross-Reference  

For the status of the standardization process, see http://www.ncits.org/tc_home/j4.htm .

Those of you who have followed this subject closely might respond, "Yeah right, I knew about the X3J4 (commonly abbreviated as J4) standardization process. They have been working on this for the past ten years. It is hardly new." Well, it looks like the committee's diligent efforts were not in vain. Although the standardization process is not actually complete, the expected hurdles have been cleared and it really looks like it is going to happen ” this time .

With good reason, some view the expectation that 2002 will finally be the year as the J4 committee essentially "crying wolf." Citing several false alarms ”missed targets in 1996, 1997, and 1998 ”some have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. In fact, maybe you have seen the news about a new COBOL 2002 existing. Because this effort of the J4 could have a very significant impact on your career, it's important that you learn a little about this committee.

Cross-Reference  

A published article at CobolReport.com ( http://cobolreport.com/columnists/jerome/ ) by the respected COBOL authority Jerome Garfunkel presents convincing insight into why the road to a newer COBOL standard has been fraught with challenge and conflict.

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About the J4

The J4, also known as the COBOL Technical Committee of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), is closely associated with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standardization body. They do, however, coordinate their efforts with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for international adoption of standards. The J4 has mostly corporate members and a few noncorporate members . I will limit this discussion to the corporate membership.

According to their October 23, 2001, Annual Report ( http://www.ncits.org/ archive/2001/it010899/it010899.htm#members ), the J4 has eleven voting members and five advisory members. Among the voting members, the following six names should be familiar: Unisys Corporation; Micro Focus, Inc.; IBM Corporation; EDS; Fujitsu Software Corporation; and Compaq. Among the list of advisory members are the following companies: Acucorp; Boeing Company; Computer Associates; and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. This is an impressive list! Well, I was impressed with this who's who of the J4. Suffice it to say, you have been

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Cross-Reference  

For the one or two of you genuinely interested in getting a "real" understanding of the INCITS, ANSI (J4), and ISO (WG4) organizations and how they are interrelated, see http://www.x3.org/incits/ , http://www.ansi.org/ , http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc22/wg4/ , and http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/ISOOnline.frontpage .

Now, imagine this: You are one of the 11 voting members of this special committee that had been working to create a new programming standard. Then, you return to your corporate world. You submit your expense form for reimbursement for your latest expenditures (i.e., committee dues, travel, lodging, and so on). Because your superiors are creating next year's budget, they are eager for a debriefing and guidance.

They approach you and ask, "Since you know what the new ˜standard' is going to be, how can we position ourselves technologically so that we are ready ?" Then, with your job and entire reputation on the line, you start to explain how "Language interoperability, object orientation and XML will play a big part in the future of any enterprise-level programming language. However ”" Your boss then interrupts you midsentence, pats you on the back, smiles, and says, "You are a true visionary ." Under your breath , unheard by anyone , you continue your thought: "However, these very things are the areas that we continue to argue about. The full inclusion of these technologies is in doubt. And, I'm starting to question the motives of some of my fellow J4 members."

Does it take that much imagination to see this scenario as probable? Perhaps I do have a vivid imagination .

So, what are these J4 members doing in the "real world," outside of weighing in with their J4 membership votes ? How are they preparing for a future that continues to include COBOL? The following corporate-specific sections are provided as a glimpse into how each company has apparently interpreted the information possibly delivered by someone similar to our "imaginary" J4 committee representative.

Note  

In all fairness, I must point out that many COBOL software vendors have added object-oriented extensions to the current COBOL standard (some "in anticipation of" and others "without regard to" the forthcoming COBOL standard). In addition to the J4- affiliated vendors discussed here, the following vendors have also extended their COBOL compilers with object-oriented features: Liant; Netron, Inc.; TechBridge Technology; Hitachi; and LegacyJ.

The Unisys Corporation J4 Committee Member

I visited the Unisys corporate Web site with one question on my mind: What are they doing today with COBOL? My search results first introduced me to some very interesting information that Unisys provides about e-business. Next, I started seeing the term "ClearPath" attached to several of their products. It became apparent to me that the ClearPath product line is very important to Unisys. There were two midrange servers prefixed with the ClearPath moniker (i.e., ClearPath IX6600 and ClearPathIX6800). I read on. They discussed the ClearPath platform and how well it serviced Web applications, database access, and application development. And then, finally, I found it: COBOL. I first noticed a reference to something called "Java Object Cobol." Interesting.

Pushing on, I followed one last link to a section titled "Object Oriented COBOL Compiler." So there, on the Unisys Web site, I found the answer to my question. Unisys has a "new" object-oriented COBOL compiler. They describe this compiler as being part of the overall ClearPath IX strategy of object-orientation and componentization. Additionally, according to Unisys, this object-oriented COBOL compiler is part of the continuing Unisys mission to enhance the programming environment of ClearPath systems by providing a workstation-based programming development environment for ClearPath IX systems. Unisys listed a few features and benefits of their COBOL compiler (e.g., "Object oriented features from the emerging COBOL 200x standard" and it "Brings the advantages of object oriented technology to the COBOL programmer").

Cross-Reference  

For additional information on Unisys's COBOL compiler, visit http://www.unisys.com/products/clearpath__servers/ index.htm .

The Micro Focus, Inc. J4 Committee Member

First off, a small disclaimer: According to the J4's recent annual report, the chairman of the J4 committee is a gentleman by the name of Don Schricker. Judging from his published e-mail address, he appears to be a Micro Focus employee. Who cares, right? Consider it just a little trivia to lighten up things. While researching this particular corporation, looking for current [2] COBOL events, my search ended almost abruptly when I found information about the Micro Focus Object COBOL Developer Suite product.

After reading about this product, I realized that I needed to continue searching. Yes, they have an existing COBOL product with object-oriented extensions. However, I preferred to find something more current, something that might indicate an acknowledgement of the new standard. Then it happened ” jackpot ! A press release dated November 27, 2001, with the title "Micro Focus Announces Support For New COBOL 2002 Standard" and the subtitle "New standardized language to be implemented in all Micro Focus COBOL platform products."

The press release is interesting. It provides some insight into the company's products and general direction. Additionally, a positive point is shared about "standards" in general. The part of the press release that really caught my eye was the section that started out with the following phrase: "COBOL 2002 adds significant new features to the COBOL language including: . . ." I would rather not list all the features here. However, I will list one of them: "Object Orientation."

Cross-Reference  

For additional information, see the previously mentioned Micro Focus press release ( http://www.microfocus.com/ press/news/20011127.asp?bhcp=1 ) and visit the COBOLPortal Web site ( http://www.cobolportal.com/developer/ ).

The IBM Corporation J4 Committee Member

Like Micro Focus, IBM has an existing COBOL product (VisualAge for COBOL) that contains object-oriented features. So, my search continued for something "new." Interestingly, with IBM, I was also able to find a recent press release. On November 27, 2001, IBM announced the availability of IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS and OS/390 V3R1. Is it just me, or does the date of November 27, 2001, sound familiar?

In IBM's announcement, the stated goal of Enterprise COBOL V3R1 is "to enable developers to leverage 30 years' worth of applications in new endeavors." So, let's explore a little to discover how IBM intends to accomplish this rather ambitious goal. As you might have guessed, the term "object-oriented" is liberally sprinkled throughout the news announcement. However, what might be a little surprising is the equally liberal usage of the following two phrases: "Java interoperability" and "XML support."

Additionally, the announcement mentions the goal of leveraging existing development being done on IBM's Web application platform WebSphere. Apparently, developing on IBM's WebSphere platform implies a commitment to learn about Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE). About midway through the press release, a particular statement from the announcement left me with my mouth wide open : "Object Oriented COBOL syntax is retargeted for Java-based OO programming. Further, the primary purpose of the OO syntax is not stand-alone OO COBOL programming, rather the syntax is intended to facilitate interoperation of COBOL and Java." Interesting! Otherwise, IBM's software announcement continues (in depth) to provide prospective customers with valuable information.

Cross-Reference  

For additional information on the IBM press release mentioned in this section, visit http://www-3.ibm.com/software/ad/cobol/zos/ and click the "IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS and OS/390 V3R1 (201-343)" link under the "News" heading.

The Electronic Data Systems (EDS) J4 Committee Member

Let's continue the investigation. Well, given my simplistic approach to investigating (going to corporate Web sites and searching for the word "COBOL"), perhaps I should say, "Let's continue the search." This particular J4 committee member provided an extremely in-depth essay about Extensible Markup Language (XML). (I discuss this technology in Chapter 4.)

I really liked EDS's suggestion of using XML as a central focus to fill the "legacy-to-Web information gap." Toward that end, EDS announces in an essay/article on its site a new tool named XML-inline. This tool (used in conjunction with EDS's COGEN 2000 tool) will Web-enable COBOL applications. As a result, legacy applications written in COBOL can now be extended to actually output XML-tagged data. This will offer efficiencies not realized today when legacy applications send their print streams to an external application for XML type parsing. This well-written article goes even deeper and discusses XML schemas and standards. It then generously provides an XML primer ”a big bravo for EDS! By the way, the new COBOL standard appears to lack "full" XML support, [3] and EDS saves the day with its proprietary XML integration tools ”how convenient !

Cross-Reference  

For additional information on EDS's new XML tools, visit http://www.eds.com/news/home_page_xml.shtml .

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What About Sun Microsystems and Microsoft?

Some may wonder why Sun Microsystems' name does not appear on the J4 committee list. You have to take a closer look. Please revisit the previous "corporate" update for IBM, and take note of the emphasis on Java and J2EE technologies. As you know, the Java standard and the J2EE platform standard are controlled by Sun Microsystems. Albeit indirect, herein lies the involvement of the Sun Microsystems via IBM's COBOL implementation approach.

Likewise, were you surprised that Microsoft's name was not included on the list of J4's who's who? People generally expect Microsoft to have their hands into every part of technology. As with Sun Microsystems, you have to take a closer look and consider indirect partnerships as involvement. This will make more sense when you read about the next corporate J4 member, Fujitsu Software Corporation.

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The Fujitsu Software Corporation J4 Committee Member

Like several other J4 members, Fujitsu Software Corporation has several existing COBOL products with object-oriented extensions already implemented. One of these products is Fujitsu's PowerCOBOL. So, are they taking any "new" action? Yes. This corporate member has approached the new COBOL challenge in an interesting way (taking no thunder away from the other J4 committee members' announcements).

Fujitsu Software worked with Microsoft to become the first [4] COBOL vendor to formally announce support for Microsoft .NET and ASP.NET, including XML Web services. The development team over at Fujitsu Software has taken the new COBOL 2002 standard (or at least a large subset of the standard) and made the appropriate extensions needed for .NET. They have labeled this creation "Net-COBOL for .NET." Now, that is impressive to say the least. Those already familiar with Fujitsu's COBOL development tools will declare that this move toward Microsoft .NET integration is not necessarily a surprise. This is because Fujitsu Software has a reputation for providing tools for the COBOL community that assist in development integration with traditionally nonmainframe technologies ( Windows GUI, MTS/COM+ compatibility, object orientation, and so on). In the next chapter, I discuss how the language interoperability and neutrality feature of .NET has kept the door open for this COBOL vendor (and other future vendors of other language compilers) to easily integrate into the .NET development environment.

Cross-Reference  

For additional information about Fujitsu Software's NetCOBOL for .NET, visit http://www.netcobol.com/products/windows/netcobol.html .

The Acucorp J4 Advisory Committee Member

Some of you may have used Acucorp's software products. They have several products designed to extend the life of legacy COBOL applications. They do this by successfully implementing Web-enabling, graphical front-end, and Windows platform technologies that integrate into their cross-platform version of the ANSI COBOL 85 compiler.

Additionally, it is known that Acucorp has joined the list of vendors with object-oriented COBOL extensions in their products. I was not surprised to see their name included on the J4 committee advisory member list. My guess is that they are in the process of revamping their product offering per the COBOL 2002 standard specifications, using firsthand information obtained from participation in the J4. Sounds like a wise business strategy for Acucorp.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of using Acucorp's COBOL development tools and COBOL enabling technologies, they also offer a rather COBOL-friendly service. If a client wishes, Acucorp will (for a fee) take over the complete maintenance of the corporation's legacy COBOL applications. I assume that this typically results in the corporate client giving their existing legacy mainframe-programming staff generous amounts of time off to better address their retraining efforts.

Cross-Reference  

For additional information on Acucorp, visit http://www.acucorp.com/News/Press/Presskit/about.html.

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What About Compaq?

I failed to include a detailed "corporate update" for Compaq. I could find no new announcements about the new COBOL on their Web site ”just the same clear message that Compaq has strong support for the existing COBOL 85 standard. My guess is that they are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the dust to settle and taking a more conservative approach than the other trailblazing vendors. A move that may prove to be a wise one. For additional information, see http://www.openvms.compaq.com:8000/73final/cobol/cobum.htm .

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Committee Member Summary

Now you know what the J4 committee members have been up to. I have given you a glimpse into the future of the COBOL language: COBOL 2002. Perhaps you have come to some conclusion about the mainframe programmer's training requirements going forward. At the same time, you may have even concluded that you are ready to abandon the mainframe due to the inevitable training that awaits tomorrow's mainframe programmers. Some might even say, "If I need to retrain anyway, why not learn a new language and a new environment?" Others may have noticed a more subtle point: COBOL, something that has been very stable, virtually unchanged for decades, is about to burst from its cocoon. Following this metaphor, it may be fair to ask: Is the J4 giving birth to a butterfly that will actually fly?

Should I stop here? Have I made my point well enough? Is there any doubt in your mind that the J4 members are committed to creating a "new" COBOL language, one that will require retraining in various technologies? All right, you asked for it. Let's drill down further.

[2] Recent to the time of this writing (October 28, 2002), Micro Focus released a press release titled "Micro Focus COBOL Now Extended to the Microsoft .NET Framework." The implications of this press release are huge. Up to this point, there has been one COBOL vendor, Fujitsu Software, offering a COBOL compiler that integrates into VS .NET. If Micro Focus delivers what they mention in their press release, you will be faced with a choice of .NET COBOL compilers. Certainly, I will monitor this news as it unfolds. I invite you to do the same. The following links may be of interest to you: http://www.microfocus.com./press/releases/20021028.asp and http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20021028S0007.

[3] I am concerned about the omission of XML support and Web enablement from the actual standard. For now, these are vendor-specific extensions. Perhaps 10 years ago no one predicted their importance. Likely, a committee will address this in a post-2002 COBOL standard.

[4] As pointed out in an earlier footnote, Micro Focus recently announced their planned entry into the "COBOL for .NET" arena. It appears that you will soon have two competing COBOL vendors (Fujitsu Software and Micro Focus) both offering a COBOL compiler extended for Microsoft's .NET platform.




COBOL and Visual Basic on .NET
COBOL and Visual Basic on .NET: A Guide for the Reformed Mainframe Programmer
ISBN: 1590590481
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 204

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