Hi guys, if possible I would like to have simple (step-by-step) instructions for an installation (ex with MingW) in a windows environment.It would be very nice to download a folder that includes everything I need to use the compiler immediately. such as when I install opencobolide (but it has only GC 1.1 release).There is no added value for me to build it from c source. I'm a cobol programmer cobol (not knowing c) so it would be very helpful to have a compiler ready to use. Anyone help ?
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I have built GnuCOBOL 1.1 and 2.0 (several months ago) from source, and I am not a C programmer. It took me a couple of days to build 2.0. I've been dealing with some family health issues so I had to stop working on GnuCOBOL 2.0 with MinGW and a windows installer. The folder had grown to 182 megabytes with manuals. I'm hoping to get back to that personal project, but it may be a few months before I have enough time to work on it.
GnuCOBOL 2.0 is not final or feature complete, as far as I know. Opencobolide is very good. Are there features in GnuCOBOL 2.0 that you need and 1.1 doesn't have?
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I am trying to migrate a Realia Cobol application software.
I need a lot of features such as ACCEPT OMITTED to check which key was pressed by the user. During migration I will try to use the cobol UDF function.
two days (!!!) just to instal the compiler seems to be too complicated and not acceptable for a great product as GC.
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Yes, GC deserves better. But the current focus is on getting 2.0 out and in contrary to the people from Realia Cobol no one gets directly any money for his time spent on the project (you're free to change this and could expect even better ;-).
The VC binary is a little bit outdated but it does work out of the box. Just install VC, place the extracted download where you like to (you've one this steps already I suppose).
Then open a cmd window in your GC folder (easiest done by using [SHIFT]+[Right Click] on the folder in explorer -> Open Command Prompt here). Then run setenv.bat in the command prompt and you can do cobc yourprog.cob from this command prompt.
Simon
BTW: I'll start the preparations for an officual 2.0 MinGW package after the release candidate (or shortly beforehand). This will lead to OCIDE having the new version shipped with the next release and gives you the possibility to switch the shipped release package in older versions, too. The rc is expected in January 2016.
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No, the animator feature withing GnuCOBOL will be seen in 2.1 or later, it's definitely out of the 2.0 milestone we're working on (and the current "official" debugger branch is not usable, it will get a heavy update "sometime" in 2016 [the code is already there but it's not made public yet]).
Simon
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I worked with Realia COBOL 4.2 for OS/2 and DOS back in the early 1990's. It was an excellent compiler, but too expensive for me to buy for personal use. Unlike Microfocus COBOL, there were no license fees for executables you created using Realia COBOL. CA (formerly Computer Associates) bought Realia, and I don't think CA-Realia COBOL is available any more.
Two days was just for me to fumble around with building the GnuCOBOL 2.0 from source, while writing a manual (still unfinished) on how to do it. My end goal is to create an installer for the GnuCOBOL 2.0 (like I did for GnuCOBOL 1.1) so you can run a setup.exe for it like any other windows application. But if GC 2.0 will be included in a future release of OpenCOBOLIDE that would be even better.
I have a working version of GnuCOBOL 2.0 (r624 from 10JUL2015) built with MinGW, if you would like to try it, but it's a 52 megabyte zip file with no documentation or installer. You can download it from here:
Create a folder named something like c:\GnuCOBOL or C:\GC20 and unzip the contents into it while preserving the directory structure. Read the CMD files for an idea of how to setup the environment variables. Several months ago I tested it with OpenCOBOLIDE, and I was able to compile a small COBOL program.
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Good Job Arnold. This is what I need.
Just downloaded, unpacked and it works out of the box !
1 minute for installation.
After that I configured preferences in OCIDE and all works fine.
Thanks a lot.
I suggest to store this zip file or something similar into the sourceforge site.
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I'm very glad to hear the GnuCOBOL 2.0 MinGW zip file is working for you. I have no objections to having it posted on the GnuCOBOL sourceforge site, but I am not sure how to get it uploaded. It does not contain the most recent GC 2.0 features because it was built using the r624 tarball from 10JUL2015. Simon Sobisch may have a newer version of GC 2.0 MinGW ready sooner, which will likely be included with the next release of OCIDE.
OCIDE might be the better long term option for COBOL programmers on Windows. But I would also like to expand on Gary Cutler's instructions for building installers for GnuCOBOL application programs.
If I can get enough time to work on it, my goals are to rebuild the GnuCOBOL 2.0 MinGW compiler with the r658 tarball (25OCT2015), or a newer tarball when it becomes available. Then I plan to build an INNO Windows setup.exe installer for GnuCOBOL 2.0. The package would include a large documentation folder, including Gary Cutler's Programmer's guide and several other manuals.
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Hello Brian, how I can access that web page from the sourceforge site? I can not find where to click to have http://open-cobol.sourceforge.net/files/index.html address on the web page!. I think it's very important that a Cobol programmer can have this file easily. Thanks for the quote in the FAQ. I'm honored..
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I'm going to have to redo some CSS to make space for better legends, but for now, links are on the right side of the Guides page, Syntax, Archive and MinGW
Thanks for the push, (and your original quote), Eugenio.
Cheers,
Brian
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Thanks for the link but I already know all this documentation.
There is no document that says how to install GC 2.0 without compiling from scratch from sources c.
I would like to have a quick installation and running immediately.
A package that includes everything, in executable version.
For example, when I install opencobolide, then with a click I can compile and run out of the box.
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thank you for your quick response. unfortunately
I had already downloaded this file but I have a message that says "cl command not found".
It could be the lack of the micosoft C compiler.
So I tried to download and install visual studio express but that has not worked.
It would be fine to install GC with mingw?
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So I tried to download and install visual studio express but that has not worked.
For this precompiled version you have to install "Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop Win32". (If you have another version, first uninstall it.)
Just for reference: you can use ANY version 2010+ as long as it includes the C++ compiler, therefore I'd not recommend to uninstall a previous version "just because of GC". The only side effect: if you use another version than 2012 you'd need to additional install the vc 2012 runtime.
BTW@distributors: If you want to distribute a version and targetting multiple MSC-versions you can install multiple versions of the MSC compiler - as long as you start with the oldest version and install the newer versions one by one (the PC where the official packages are created has all versions from 2005 to 2015 installed). Just make sure that you regenerate all depencies (mpir and optional pdcurses, bdb/[vbcd]isam, gettext), otherwise you still would need to install two versions of the VC runtime.
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Hi guys, if possible I would like to have simple (step-by-step) instructions for an installation (ex with MingW) in a windows environment.It would be very nice to download a folder that includes everything I need to use the compiler immediately. such as when I install opencobolide (but it has only GC 1.1 release).There is no added value for me to build it from c source. I'm a cobol programmer cobol (not knowing c) so it would be very helpful to have a compiler ready to use. Anyone help ?
I have built GnuCOBOL 1.1 and 2.0 (several months ago) from source, and I am not a C programmer. It took me a couple of days to build 2.0. I've been dealing with some family health issues so I had to stop working on GnuCOBOL 2.0 with MinGW and a windows installer. The folder had grown to 182 megabytes with manuals. I'm hoping to get back to that personal project, but it may be a few months before I have enough time to work on it.
GnuCOBOL 2.0 is not final or feature complete, as far as I know. Opencobolide is very good. Are there features in GnuCOBOL 2.0 that you need and 1.1 doesn't have?
I am trying to migrate a Realia Cobol application software.
I need a lot of features such as ACCEPT OMITTED to check which key was pressed by the user. During migration I will try to use the cobol UDF function.
two days (!!!) just to instal the compiler seems to be too complicated and not acceptable for a great product as GC.
Yes, GC deserves better. But the current focus is on getting 2.0 out and in contrary to the people from Realia Cobol no one gets directly any money for his time spent on the project (you're free to change this and could expect even better ;-).
The VC binary is a little bit outdated but it does work out of the box. Just install VC, place the extracted download where you like to (you've one this steps already I suppose).
Then open a cmd window in your GC folder (easiest done by using [SHIFT]+[Right Click] on the folder in explorer -> Open Command Prompt here). Then run
setenv.batin the command prompt and you can docobc yourprog.cobfrom this command prompt.Simon
BTW: I'll start the preparations for an officual 2.0 MinGW package after the release candidate (or shortly beforehand). This will lead to OCIDE having the new version shipped with the next release and gives you the possibility to switch the shipped release package in older versions, too. The rc is expected in January 2016.
hello simon the new compiler version 2.0 will be the one with the debugger?
No, the animator feature withing GnuCOBOL will be seen in 2.1 or later, it's definitely out of the 2.0 milestone we're working on (and the current "official" debugger branch is not usable, it will get a heavy update "sometime" in 2016 [the code is already there but it's not made public yet]).
Simon
I worked with Realia COBOL 4.2 for OS/2 and DOS back in the early 1990's. It was an excellent compiler, but too expensive for me to buy for personal use. Unlike Microfocus COBOL, there were no license fees for executables you created using Realia COBOL. CA (formerly Computer Associates) bought Realia, and I don't think CA-Realia COBOL is available any more.
Two days was just for me to fumble around with building the GnuCOBOL 2.0 from source, while writing a manual (still unfinished) on how to do it. My end goal is to create an installer for the GnuCOBOL 2.0 (like I did for GnuCOBOL 1.1) so you can run a setup.exe for it like any other windows application. But if GC 2.0 will be included in a future release of OpenCOBOLIDE that would be even better.
I have a working version of GnuCOBOL 2.0 (r624 from 10JUL2015) built with MinGW, if you would like to try it, but it's a 52 megabyte zip file with no documentation or installer. You can download it from here:
http://www.arnoldtrembley.com/GC20base.zip
Create a folder named something like c:\GnuCOBOL or C:\GC20 and unzip the contents into it while preserving the directory structure. Read the CMD files for an idea of how to setup the environment variables. Several months ago I tested it with OpenCOBOLIDE, and I was able to compile a small COBOL program.
Good Job Arnold. This is what I need.
Just downloaded, unpacked and it works out of the box !
1 minute for installation.
After that I configured preferences in OCIDE and all works fine.
Thanks a lot.
I suggest to store this zip file or something similar into the sourceforge site.
I'm very glad to hear the GnuCOBOL 2.0 MinGW zip file is working for you. I have no objections to having it posted on the GnuCOBOL sourceforge site, but I am not sure how to get it uploaded. It does not contain the most recent GC 2.0 features because it was built using the r624 tarball from 10JUL2015. Simon Sobisch may have a newer version of GC 2.0 MinGW ready sooner, which will likely be included with the next release of OCIDE.
OCIDE might be the better long term option for COBOL programmers on Windows. But I would also like to expand on Gary Cutler's instructions for building installers for GnuCOBOL application programs.
If I can get enough time to work on it, my goals are to rebuild the GnuCOBOL 2.0 MinGW compiler with the r658 tarball (25OCT2015), or a newer tarball when it becomes available. Then I plan to build an INNO Windows setup.exe installer for GnuCOBOL 2.0. The package would include a large documentation folder, including Gary Cutler's Programmer's guide and several other manuals.
Arnold, et al.
I've placed a copy of the .zip under http://open-cobol.sourceforge.net/files/index.html
Arnold, we can talk about how we might want to keep this in synch with your upstream copies, but I've put in the alternate link, just in case.
Eugenio, hope you don't mind, but I quoted you on that page (as well as in the FAQ, by name). http://open-cobol.sourceforge.net/faq/index.html#how-do-i-install-gnucobol
Cheers,
Brian
Last edit: Brian Tiffin 2015-12-23
Hello Brian, how I can access that web page from the sourceforge site? I can not find where to click to have http://open-cobol.sourceforge.net/files/index.html address on the web page!. I think it's very important that a Cobol programmer can have this file easily. Thanks for the quote in the FAQ. I'm honored..
I'm going to have to redo some CSS to make space for better legends, but for now, links are on the right side of the Guides page, Syntax, Archive and MinGW
Thanks for the push, (and your original quote), Eugenio.
Cheers,
Brian
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This Link should help you, as well as this Link
Thanks for the link but I already know all this documentation.
There is no document that says how to install GC 2.0 without compiling from scratch from sources c.
I would like to have a quick installation and running immediately.
A package that includes everything, in executable version.
For example, when I install opencobolide, then with a click I can compile and run out of the box.
Hi,
there is a precompiled version with MS VS 32 bit here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/open-cobol/files/gnu-cobol/2.0/gnu-cobol-2.0_nightly_r658_win32_vc11_bin.7z
With this you can start immediately.
BR,
László
thank you for your quick response. unfortunately
I had already downloaded this file but I have a message that says "cl command not found".
It could be the lack of the micosoft C compiler.
So I tried to download and install visual studio express but that has not worked.
It would be fine to install GC with mingw?
To get rid of the cl.exe not found error, do the following:
I tihnk you have to do this every time, but there may be some way around it.
Hi,
For this precompiled version you have to install "Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop Win32". (If you have another version, first uninstall it.)
You can get it from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/download/details.aspx?id=34673
Read the system requirements under the "Download" button: Supported Operating System, Hardware Requirements.
If the system requirements are OK, then select your language and click on the "Download" button. It should work.
BR,
László
Last edit: László Erdős 2015-12-21
Just for reference: you can use ANY version 2010+ as long as it includes the C++ compiler, therefore I'd not recommend to uninstall a previous version "just because of GC". The only side effect: if you use another version than 2012 you'd need to additional install the vc 2012 runtime.
BTW@distributors: If you want to distribute a version and targetting multiple MSC-versions you can install multiple versions of the MSC compiler - as long as you start with the oldest version and install the newer versions one by one (the PC where the official packages are created has all versions from 2005 to 2015 installed). Just make sure that you regenerate all depencies (mpir and optional pdcurses, bdb/[vbcd]isam, gettext), otherwise you still would need to install two versions of the VC runtime.