https://DevOpsCloud.io -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE/MCT, GitOps DevOps Engineer

Return to FAQs, COBOL

Which is more popular Micro Focus COBOL or IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS?

The popularity of Micro Focus COBOL and IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS depends largely on the context and specific use cases within the enterprise environments.

1. **IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS**

IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS is the preferred choice for organizations that rely heavily on mainframe systems, particularly those in industries like finance, insurance, and government, where mainframes are still prevalent. Key reasons for its popularity include:

1. **Mainframe Dependency**: Organizations with existing investments in IBM mainframes and z/OS are likely to continue using IBM Enterprise COBOL because it is specifically optimized for this environment. 2. **Integration with IBM Ecosystem**: IBM Enterprise COBOL integrates tightly with other IBM mainframe technologies, such as CICS, IMS, DB2, and VSAM, making it the go-to choice for maintaining and developing mission-critical applications. 3. **Reliability and Performance**: It is known for its high reliability and performance, which is crucial for large-scale transaction processing on mainframes.

1. **Micro Focus COBOL**

Micro Focus COBOL is popular for its flexibility and the wide range of platforms it supports, including modern environments like JVM, .NET, and cloud platforms. Its popularity is driven by:

1. **Platform Versatility**: Micro Focus COBOL supports deployment on various platforms, including Windows, Linux, and cloud environments, as well as integration with modern development environments like Eclipse and Visual Studio. 2. **Modernization**: It is often used by organizations looking to modernize their COBOL applications, migrate from mainframes, or integrate COBOL with new technologies such as Java or .NET. 3. **Wide Adoption in Modern IT**: Micro Focus COBOL is favored by organizations that have diverse IT infrastructures or are looking to reduce dependency on mainframes by migrating applications to distributed systems.

1. **Popularity Comparison**
2. **Enterprise Mainframe Context**: IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS is more popular among large enterprises that continue to run critical workloads on mainframes. In these environments, the deep integration with IBM's mainframe ecosystem and the need for high-performance transaction processing make it the dominant choice.

3. **Modernization and Flexibility Context**: Micro Focus COBOL is more popular in organizations that are either transitioning away from mainframes or that require the flexibility to deploy COBOL applications across multiple platforms, including cloud and hybrid environments.

1. **Conclusion**
2. **IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS** is the dominant choice for enterprises that are heavily invested in mainframe environments and require the performance, reliability, and integration that it offers within the IBM ecosystem.
3. **Micro Focus COBOL** is more popular among organizations seeking platform flexibility, modernization opportunities, and integration with newer technologies outside the mainframe world.

Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on the specific needs of the organization, its existing infrastructure, and its long-term IT strategy.

IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS support for JVM COBOL?

No, IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS does not support “JVM COBOL.” IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS is designed for the z/OS operating system and focuses on traditional mainframe environments, leveraging the COBOL language for business-critical applications. This version of COBOL does not target the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and does not directly interoperate with JVM-based languages like Java, Kotlin or Scala in the way that “JVM COBOL” would.

• Integration with IBM z/OS: IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS is optimized for the z/OS mainframe environment and integrates closely with other IBM mainframe technologies, such as CICS, IMS, DB2, and VSAM.

• Native COBOL Compilation: The COBOL compiler generates native machine code optimized for z/OS, not JVM bytecode for the JVM.

• Legacy System Support: It is designed to support and maintain legacy COBOL applications running on IBM mainframes.

• Advanced Features: The compiler provides advanced features like improved performance optimizations, enhanced diagnostics, and modern syntax extensions to support large-scale business applications.

If you need COBOL to run on the JVM, you would need a product like:

• Micro Focus Visual COBOL: This tool provides support for compiling COBOL code to run on the JVM or .NET, making it compatible with Java and other JVM languages. It allows COBOL applications to be integrated into modern platforms and ecosystems.

• GnuCOBOL: Although not specifically for the JVM, GnuCOBOL can target various platforms through different backends, potentially offering integration with the JVM via intermediate steps like C code generation and subsequent Java Native Interface (JNI) integration.

IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS does not support “JVM COBOL” and is instead focused on providing robust COBOL capabilities within the z/OS environment. For COBOL on the JVM, you would need to explore alternatives like Micro Focus Visual COBOL.

Why is so much of COBOL in uppercase - COBOL uppercase:

“That's because the first COBOL compiler was introduced in 1961. At that time there is no SMALL LETTER in the computer keyboard.” “Try coding a COBOL program in all lower-case. You wont find any error. Its not a COBOL coding convention.” “For a long time many printers only printed in upper-case characters.”

“ANSI-68 COBOL introduced a facility to type in Small Letters also. But Small letters are not in COBOL character set even now. So if you type in small letter, it's treated as the equivalent capital letter ASCII code” (really EBCIDIC) “by the COBOL compiler.” COBOL is not case sensitive.

“The real reason was that the printers and the other equipment of the time made so much noise that the COBOL developers had to SHOUT.” Fair Use Source: https://ibmmainframes.com/about2685.html