Help Comparing COBOL Compilers

[kimb]

We are currently using RM/COBOL and are looking at the possibilities of converting to either Micro-Focus or ACU COBOL or staying with RM.

Does anyone know where I could get a comparison between the three different compilers ?

Has anyone converted from one of the above to another compiler ?

Thank you.

 

[Crox]

Hi,

In the early days there was a magazine called PC-TECH. It is a pitty it doesn't exist anymore. They compared all the available compilers - about nine - in 1985. On that compare I based my decision to buy Realia COBOL which later was bought by Pansophic which was bought by Computer Associates.

The reason to get Realia was 'Realia blows your head off'. It was the fastest at that time with no runtime fee and no memory limitations. Later on MF became much faster than in the beginning, but when you use indexed files, there is still a big difference between te versions I own of both compilers. I don't have a newer release of MF.

Your choice should also depend on what you want to do. Some extra programs from the suppliers can help you doing things in Windows or on the Internet. What a strong point is for MF is that they also have a compiler on a RS6000 computer.

On the other hand the complete serie of visual age compilers of IBM is also interesting and they are not so expensive if you join the developer program.

Fujitsu has some extra's to work easy with Internet.

In the book COBOL unleashed there is some talking about some compilers. But a true compare is not in it. I compared in about 1990 all the available compilers and Realia was still very much faster than all the others at that time. That is why I stick to it until now.

But I heard the Linux guys are developing a COBOL compiler which will be free. If it is as good(!) as their dual (for Wintel and Linux) and also free Pascal compiler, I will probably use the new Linux COBOL compiler. The Pascal compiler is very fast and multi platform so very convenient.

I hope my writing is not confusing.

Let us know what you are going to do and why!



Good Luck!