IBM COBOL

Last updated
IBM COBOL compiler
Developer(s) IBM
Operating system Cross-platform
Available inMultilingual
Type Software development
License Proprietary
Website https://www.ibm.com/products/cobol-compiler-family

IBM has offered the computer programming language COBOL on many platforms, starting with the IBM 1400 series and IBM 7000 series, continuing into the industry-dominant IBM System/360 and IBM System/370 mainframe systems, and then through Power Systems (AIX) and IBM Z (z/OS and z/VSE).

Contents

At the height of COBOL usage in the 1960s through 1980s, the IBM COBOL product was the most important of any industry COBOL compilers. In his popular textbook A Simplified Guide to Structured COBOL Programming, Daniel D. McCracken tries to make the treatment general for any machine and compiler, but when he gives details for a particular one, they are to the IBM COBOL compiler and for a System/370. [1] Similarly, another popular textbook of the time, Stern and Stern's Structured COBOL Programming, tries to present an implementation-independent explanation of the language, but the appendix giving the full syntax of the language is explicitly for IBM COBOL, with its extensions to the language highlighted. [2]

Use of IBM COBOL was so widespread that Capex Corporation, an independent software vendor, made a post-code generation phase object code optimizer for it. [3] The Capex Optimizer became a quite successful product. [4]

Although the IBM COBOL Compiler Family web site [5] only mentions AIX and z/OS, IBM still offers COBOL on z/VM and z/VSE.

Products

The current IBM COBOL compiler family consists of the following products: [5]


IBM COBOL compiler name, version, release, product numbers, GA and EOS dates

CompilerRelease levelProduct numberGeneral availability (GA) date

(Year-Month-Day)

End of support (EOS) date

(Year-Month-Day)

OS COBOL E360S-C0-503??
OS COBOL F360S-CB-524??
OS American National Standard COBOL (COBOL U)Versions 1-2360S-CB-545??
OS Full American National Standard COBOLVersions 1-35734-CB1??
OS Full American National Standard COBOLVersions 4-55734-CB2??
OS/VS COBOLVersion 1 Release 2 Modification 35740-CB11974-09-231999-12-31
OS/VS COBOLVersion 1 Release 2 Modification 45740-CB11976-09-231999-12-31
VS COBOL IIVersion 1 Release 35668-9581988-12-161996-06-30
VS COBOL IIVersion 1 Release 45668-9581993-03-122001-03-31
COBOL/370Version 1 Release 15688-1971991-12-201997-09-30
COBOL for MVS & VMVersion 1 Release 25688-1971995-10-272001-12-31
COBOL for OS/390 & VMVersion 2 Release 15648-A251997-05-232004-12-31
COBOL for OS/390 & VMVersion 2 Release 25648-A252000-09-292004-12-31
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 15655-G532001-11-302004-04-04
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 25655-G532002-09-272005-10-03
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 35655-G532004-02-272007-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 3 Release 45655-G532005-07-012015-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 4 Release 15655-S712007-12-142014-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 4 Release 25655-S712009-08-282022-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 5 Release 15655-W322013-06-212020-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 5 Release 25655-W322015-02-272020-04-30
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 5 Release 25697-ECV2015-10-062020-04-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 15655-EC62016-03-182022-09-30
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 15697-V612016-03-182022-09-30
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 25655-EC62017-09-08Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 25697-V612017-09-08Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 35655-EC62019-09-06Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 35697-V612019-09-06Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL for z/OSVersion 6 Release 45655-EC62022-05-27Not announced yet
Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1Version 6 Release 45697-V612022-05-27Not announced yet
COBOL for Linux on x86Version 1 Release 15737-L112021-04-16Not announced yet
Note:
  1. Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS is the same as Enterprise COBOL for z/OS made available under a different product number and pricing metric.

Check the lifecycle details (lifecycle dates, announcement letters, and other information) for Enterprise COBOL for z/OS products.

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References

  1. McCracken, Daniel D. (1976). A Simplified Guide to Structured COBOL Programming. Wiley. pp. 1, 7–9, 68–69, 78n, 149. ISBN   0-471-58284-0.
  2. Stern, Nancy; Stern, Robert A. (1980). Structured COBOL Programming (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. x, 4–5, Appendix E (539–561). ISBN   0-471-04913-1.
  3. "uncertain". EDP Analyzer. Vol. 9–10. United Communications Group. 1971. pp. 2–3.
  4. Leavitt, Don (January 17, 1977). "Users Put 38 Packages on Honor Roll". Computerworld. p. 23.
  5. 1 2 "IBM COBOL Compiler Family". IBM.
  6. "IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS Product Page"
  7. "IBM COBOL for AIX Product Page"
  8. "IBM COBOL for Linux on x86 Product Page"
  9. "IBM Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS Product Page"

IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS related links:

IBM COBOL for AIX related links:

IBM COBOL for Linux on x86 related links:

IBM COBOL Compilers Support: