Menu

GCC back-end for COBOL

Anonymous
2020-12-09
2020-12-30
  • Anonymous

    Anonymous - 2020-12-09

    Is there any work being done to integrate COBOL into the GCC back-end.

     
  • Simon Sobisch

    Simon Sobisch - 2020-12-09

    No. GnuCOBOL would be available for that, if you want to work on it (there was an old approach for that but this is so outdated in both the GnuCOBOL and the GCC parts that it would be reasonable to start from scratch).

     
  • Anonymous

    Anonymous - 2020-12-12

    One of the original objectives of OpenCOBOL was the eventual integration with GCC.
    The lack of interest and support by the GCC community however, quickly put an end to that objective.

    The writing a compiler back end is usually substantially a much bigger task than the front end.
    The peculiarities of COBOL will likely make the task even larger and more complex.

    In my view, such an endeavour would require a small team working full time, with a good knowledge of COBOL and the GCC back end. A rare breed indeed.

    The preliminary work done is still valid, and could be used as an outline.

    Personally I just do not have the time work on this project, not even in a small capacity.

     
  • Vincent (Bryan) Coen

    It should be noted that migrating GnuCOBOL to C++ instead of C will help move forwards GC towards an OO product see existing old C++ code which is a starter.

     
  • Anonymous

    Anonymous - 2020-12-13

    Compiling the GnuCOBOL front end and RTL using C++ should not be a big problem.

    Conversion of the GnuCOBOL syntax tree to the GCC abstract syntax tree format would be the second step and where the real work begins.

     
    • Anonymous

      Anonymous - 2020-12-14

      I do not know of a single OO Cobol application.
      Never seen one.
      I do know that at least 2 major COBOL vendors needlessly expended millions of USD to create an OO COBOL.
      I do not think the professional COBOL programmers will ever embrace OO COBOL.
      I cannot imagine practical applications.
      Jusy sayin

       
      • Vincent (Bryan) Coen

        On 14/12/2020 06:54, noreply@sourceforge.net wrote:

        I do not know of a single OO Cobol application.
        Never seen one.
        I do know that at least 2 major COBOL vendors needlessly expended
        millions of USD to create an OO COBOL.
        I do not think the professional COBOL programmers will ever embrace OO
        COBOL.
        I cannot imagine practical applications.
        Jusy sayin

        A large number use it - via Micro Focus Visual Cobol to name but one but
        then there are the mainframe users.

        At a guess hundred of thousands and no I am not one but at my age I
        think I would have a major problem trying to learn OO.

        Vince
        .

         
        • Anonymous

          Anonymous - 2020-12-15

          Anybody familiar with the adage "shelf ware" ?
          We defined shelf ware to be software that has been purchased but never used.
          Such software sits on a shelf in my cubicle.
          Such a definition is apt for OO COBOL
          An elaborate solution is search of a problem to solve :-)

          Microsoft .NET for COBOL Programmers Paperback (Amazon - Circa 20
          Best Sellers Rank: #19,613,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3,216 in Microsoft .NET

          So there are probably many purchases of MF or Fujitsu OO COBOL but I gotta think they are currently of the shelf ware ilk.

           
      • Simon Sobisch

        Simon Sobisch - 2020-12-15

        Please leave rants for OO COBOL out of discussions they don't belong to - that topic was about GCC integration which has exactly zero to do with OO COBOL (or C++, as far as I see).

         
  • Anonymous

    Anonymous - 2020-12-16

    There appears to be no interest in working on GCC integration.

    Perhaps it is time to set up a foundation.
    - org anise proper funding
    - hire and administer personnel
    etc ...

     
  • Graham Knight

    Graham Knight - 2020-12-30

    IBM Cobol (1990's) could be OO but as you say why would you use it when procedural programming would suffice.

     

Anonymous
Anonymous

Add attachments
Cancel