*LARGE* COBOL programs - new SHARE requirement

From: William M. Klein (wmklein_at_nospam.netcom.com)
Date: 05/19/04 

Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 00:05:59 GMT

I thought my note to IBM-MAIN might be of interest to some in other newsgroups.

  FYI ..

> To: IBM-MAIN (with various BCC's including the LNGC distribution list)
>
> As a follow-on to a current IBM-MAIN thread, I have just created (and placed
> into the OPEN FOR DISCUSSION category) a new SHARE requirement for "better
> handling" of LARGE COBOL programs. It is already available for discussion -
> and should get a new SHARE requirement number tomorrow.
>
> I *doubt* that "we" can discuss, vote on, and get a response from IBM by the
> NYC SHARE in August. However, if I see "lots" of positive discussion
> quickly, I will try and move it along as quickly as possible.
>
> For those of you who work for (are related to?) SHARE installations but you
> are not currently participating in the LNGC requirement process, please see:
>
> http://home.netcom.com/~wmklein/IBM/How%20to%20join%20-%20LNGC.htm
>
> The wording of the requirement in question begins:
>
> - Remove restriction - compiling and optimizing large programs
>
> - The restrictions on the OPT compiler option documented in APAR PQ74496
> should be removed - not only for VisualGEN produced COBOL source code, but
> for any "generated" COBOL source code that does not violate the "size of
> program" limit documented at:
>
>
http://publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/bookmgr_OS390/BOOKS/IGY3LR20/APPENDIX1.2
>
> as:
> Size of program 999,999 lines
>
> Furthermore, the PGT, TGT, and any other relevant internal "tables" should
> be expanded to handle such large programs with and without the OPT compiler
> option - thereby significantly "increasing the limit" documented as:
>
> Procedure and constant area 4,194,303 bytes
>
> and reflected in compiler message
>
> IGYXX5159-U Procedure plus constant area exceeded 4 megabytes. "PGT"
> capacity was exceeded.
>
> - The "requirement" (permanent restriction) documented in PQ74496 which
> states,
>
> "Problem conclusion
> COBOL code produced by CSP and VisualGen should never be compiled with
> OPTIMIZE, since it takes lots of resource and provides no benefit."
>
> is unacceptable (especially when it reflects an inadequate interface between
> two IBM products) - as is the restriction reflected in compile-time message:
>
> IGYXX5159-U Procedure plus constant area exceeded 4 megabytes. "PGT"
> capacity was exceeded.
>
> In this day and age when a growing number of COBOL programs are created by
> "tools" which generate COBOL source code (and, hence, the code may not be
> directly modified by any application programmer) - and when such features as
> OO, XML, and other "modern" programming interfaces may require VERY large
> source programs, it is imperative that COBOL programs not have artificially
> small internal limits - even if these limitations are hit infrequently they
> are, nevertheless often enough experienced to be encountered by multiple
> shops and for multiple applications.
>
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