Cobol: A Living Ecosystem of Tools and Resources

While Cobol might be considered a more mature language, there's still a vibrant ecosystem of tools and resources available to assist Cobol developers in their work. This blog post will introduce some of the most important tools and resources.

Development Environments

The choice of a suitable development environment is crucial for a Cobol developer's productivity. There's a wide range of Cobol development environments available, both free and commercial. Some of the most popular options include:

• Micro Focus Visual COBOL: A comprehensive development environment with an integrated editor, debugger, and compiler.

• Fujitsu NetCOBOL: A powerful development environment supporting modern technologies like web services and REST APIs.

• IBM Enterprise COBOL: An enterprise-level development environment with extensive features for application development and management.

• GnuCOBOL: A free and open-source development environment that runs on various platforms.

Compilers

A compiler is a program that translates Cobol code into machine code executable by a computer. There are a variety of Cobol compilers available, both free and commercial. Some of the most popular options include:

• Micro Focus Server Express: A free Cobol compiler for developing web applications.

• Fujitsu NetCOBOL Compiler: A powerful Cobol compiler supporting modern technologies like web services and REST APIs.

• IBM Enterprise COBOL Compiler: An enterprise-level Cobol compiler with extensive features for application development and management.

• OpenCOBOL Compiler: A free and open-source Cobol compiler that runs on various platforms.

Libraries and Frameworks

Cobol libraries and frameworks provide pre-built functions and components that can simplify the work of Cobol developers. There's a wide range of Cobol libraries and frameworks available, both free and commercial. Some of the most popular options include:

• COBOL-IT: A collection of open-source libraries and frameworks for Cobol developers.

• GnuCOBOL-Lib: A collection of libraries and frameworks for the GnuCOBOL development environment.

• Micro Focus Server Express Libraries: A collection of libraries for developing web applications with Micro Focus Server Express.

Online Resources

There are a variety of online resources that can assist Cobol developers in their work. Some of the most popular options include:

• The Cobol Programmer's Guild: An online community for Cobol developers with forums, tutorials, and other resources.

• Micro Focus COBOL User Group: An online community for users of Micro Focus COBOL products.

• IBM COBOL Information Center: Comprehensive documentation on IBM COBOL products.

• GnuCOBOL Wiki: A wiki with information and resources on GnuCOBOL.

Conclusion

The Cobol ecosystem offers a wide range of tools and resources to support Cobol developers in their work. With the right combination of tools and resources, Cobol developers can work productively and efficiently.