On Sun, 2007-12-02 at 15:20 -0500, Jeffrey Brower wrote: > So are you saying that all they need is the compiled COBOL and the library > and they will not have to install Cygwin or anything else? GCC runs under mingw as I understand it so it should not be necessary to install cygwin. Having said that, I am developing on Linux and Windows support is a secondary priority. Tim Josling > > Jeff > > > -----Original Message----- > From: tim [mailto:tej@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] > Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 4:30 AM > To: Jeff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: RE: [Cobolforgcc-announce] Status of the COBOL For GCC project > > Jeffrey, > > The runtime will be licensed under the LGPL and therefore free $0 for all > uses. See http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.txt > > My interpretation of this is that you can distribute copies of LGPL code > such as libraries as long as you offer to provide the source code of the > LGPL code. You are not required to provide souce code of your application > just to the LGPLed library. > > I hope this addresses your concern about the runtime. If not please let me > know. > > Regards, > Tim Josling > > On Sat, 2007-12-01 at 19:35 -0500, Jeffrey Brower wrote: > > Hi Tim. > > > > I've been looking forward to this email - and I was wondering when it > > would come. > > > > I have about 100,000 lines of my company's COBOL I can throw at it for > > testing. Once you open it up for others to help, I can do some COBOL > > code if you can help me spec it out. I have coded some in C and I am > > willing to learn LISP. I own the company so there would be no issues > there. > > > > I would like to you reconsider the runtime just for the time it takes > > to read this email. > > > > I would prefer to create COBOL programs that can execute natively on > > Solaris, OS X (really FreeBSD) and (I am ashamed to admit) Windows. > > When I hear about our customer installs (always on Windows) I > > constantly hear complaints against maintaining runtimes in addition to > > our stuff and refusing to install most COBOLs (and Cygwin) for that > > very reason. I keep an ancient MicroFocus COBOL just to compile those > > programs (which run stand-alone in a DOS box - no runtime). The > > Solaris and OS-X would be for me, the Windows for the clients that don't > know better. > > > > I have been using KOBOL from The Kompany and it scores 100% on the > > ANSII 85 test - but it does not have any built-in functions and that > > makes it hard to migrate to from MF COBOL. It also requires Cygwin on > > Windows. That makes it a non-starter for our software sales on that > platform. > > > > I truly believe that running native on Solaris, OSX and Windows can be > > a instant success mechanism -especially when the new MicroFocus > > runtime is charged in the thousands per CPU per year. Our last quote > > came in over $10K just to compile and distribute a single 5,000 line > > program plus each installation had to pony up almost that year after > > year for the privilege to run it. > > > > Imagine, just for a minute, the success of a COBOL that had no runtime > > and provides the feeling of protection that only comes from > > distributing stand-alone binary executables. Fame. And a chance to > > change the face of computing by unleashing billions of lines of code > > that are trapped behind huge fees and the barrier wall of runtimes. > > > > Let me know if you see me as a fit in any way with your project. > > > > Jeff Brower > > Atlanta, GA - USA > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: cobolforgcc-announce-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > [mailto:cobolforgcc-announce-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf > > Of tim > > Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 6:02 PM > > To: cobolforgcc-announce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Subject: [Cobolforgcc-announce] Status of the COBOL For GCC project > > > > Work on the project stopped for a number of years, for good but > > uninteresting reasons, but I have recently started work again. > > > > In fact I left my job recently to work on the project. I took a > > holiday first and I'm now working full time on the project. I plan for > > work on the project for at least six months and I think that will > > suffice to get a substantial part of the work done. > > > > My plan is to get a minimal subset running and then put it up on > > sourceforge, at which point I will be inviting others to help. > > > > Our first attempt produced 80,000 lines of code and I would estimate > > we were about 30% of the way there. I have started again with a > > different approach using LISP as the main language for the compiler > > front end instead of C. The interface to the GCC back end will still > > be in C but that will only be a few thousand lines. The runtime will > > be in a combination of C and a subset of COBOL. With this approach I > > think the whole thing will be less than 70,000 lines of code. Quite a bit > of the code fromt he first attempt is reusable. > > > > Expiriments I have done indicate that LISP programs require only about > > 10-20% of the lines of code of a comparable C program with almost > > proportionate productivity improvements and reductions in bugs, and > > with similar performance. LISP is not just for processing lists; it is > > a very powerful programming language and good open source > > implementations exist (eg SBCL, GCL, CMU Lisp). Some of these run on > Windows as well as Unix variants. > > There are a lot of good books, documentation and other training > > materials about LISP available on the internet. > > > > The opportunities I see for people to help will be > > > > COBOL Skills: > > * Test your COBOL programs and submit bug reports. > > * Work on the some of the runtime routines. > > > > Lisp skills > > * Work on the compiler front end (parser etc). > > > > C Skills > > * Work on the runtime routines. > > > > C Skills and GCC Internals skills > > * Work on the GCC back end interface. > > > > As this is a Free Software Foundation project it will be necessary for > > anyone who makes more than a very small contribution to legally assign > > the copyright to the FSF, and to get a waiver from their employer or > > school or college as well. > > > > I will issue more updates as I progress, at least on a monthly basis. > > > > Regards, > > Tim Josling > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > --- SF.Net email is sponsored by: The Future of Linux Business White > > Paper from Novell. From the desktop to the data center, Linux is > > going mainstream. > > Let it simplify your IT future. > > http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/8857-50307-18918-4 > > _______________________________________________ > > Cobolforgcc-announce mailing list > > Cobolforgcc-announce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/cobolforgcc-announce > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SF.Net email is sponsored by: The Future of Linux Business White Paper from Novell. From the desktop to the data center, Linux is going mainstream. Let it simplify your IT future. http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/8857-50307-18918-4 _______________________________________________ Cobolforgcc-users mailing list Cobolforgcc-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/cobolforgcc-users
