Re: Called Module with File Access - where to Close

Chuck Stevens wrote:
> "HeyBub" <heybubNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:11dq1d1pganit74@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>> What's "awful" about ENTRY?
>
> One thing about ENTRY is that it ties the architecture of the
> *program* to the architecture of the *system*. ENTRY is not part of
> standard COBOL (be it '68, '74, '85, '02 or even the current working
> draft for the '08 standard) and an application that is dependent on
> the presence of this syntax will not compile in any environment
> *except* those that support this particular vendor extension.

That notion has been banded about, like, forever. In over thirty years of
COBOL programming, I've yet to run into anyone who gives a fig. But, of
course, I don't get out much. Does anyone know of a vendor who does NOT
support this extension? Do they have any business?

>
> If one of the purposes of writing in COBOL in the first place is to
> provide at least a modicum of portability to a variety of platforms
> that run COBOL, tying an application design to a particular vendor
> extension goes contrary to that purpose. It does not matter if the
> code is only going to be used in a single operating environment, but
> some managers think in terms of protecting their investment in
> home-grown software by limiting the vendor extensions that may be
> used in its development.

You're correct. But it's a big "IF." I've developed systems on big iron to
PCs. I've never met a manager who was concerned about porting a new
development to a yet-unknown hunk of hardware in the amorphous future. Such
managers COULD exist, but I suspect no one pays them much mind anyway.



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: NEWS for Fujitsu COBOL users
    ... programming, but a lot of those "new tool" projects are failing. ... this is one of the reasons why OO COBOL was resisted by the COBOL ...  "Professional Project Managers" tend to all have the same ... that indexed file only contains the paid orders, ...
    (comp.lang.cobol)
  • Re: CoBOL and Contracting (Was: All X0D lost during...)
    ... coexistence with offshoring, the declining CoBOL marketshare, and all ... it may well be that the treatment of contractors is different ... Indian managers mistreat ... interest and enthusiasm by COBOL programmers. ...
    (comp.lang.cobol)
  • Re: Why C is really a bad programming language
    ... It /started/ with COBOL (or rather, in the era in which COBOL ... I find it hard to credit programmers who are always part, so they say, ... dependencies means that due diligence is required even if the ... Managers don't want to be seen as spending money on potential events ...
    (comp.lang.c)
  • Re: Re How competent are we
    ... It had nothing to do with the rejection of OO COBOL by COBOL PROGRAMMERS? ... I do design before coding. ... That's what you get when you let managers run things... ... you, the programmer, but to the user is utterly opaque, for instance. ...
    (comp.lang.cobol)
  • Re: Gartner on Assessing the Age of Software Languages and Tools
    ... Managers are conservative, not developers. ... between IT and the Business and was also the cause of IT getting a bad ... I thought OO would be important, so I tried to learn OO COBOL. ... observable "conservatism" we see in IT shops. ...
    (comp.lang.cobol)