[open-cobol-list] Re: Positioning accept and display (OpenCobol)

[John R. Culleton]

On Sunday 07 August 2005 07:50 pm, Roger While wrote:
> Hi John,
> Private reply not enough ?
>
> >tried ACCEPT and DISPLAY statements with line and column
> >indicators but they were ignored. Three possiblities:
> >1. My statements were incorrect.
> >2. My installation was defective.
> >3. OpenCOBOL doesn't handle this feature.
> >If number three, is there a schedule for implementing it?
>
> Number 3.
> It's on my TODO list.
> I am aiming at getting 0.33 out of the door within the next couple
> of weeks and then I will be taking a look at this.
> Note that this is not part of earlier standards (74 & 85). AFAIK it was
> an MF invention. However, the syntax is specified in the 2002 standard.
>

RMCobol had it back around 1979 but it was a slightly different
syntax. I still have the source for a screen writer utility
program that I cobbled up in or around 1984 that used that
feature in RMCobol, which ran on the long-forgotten Radio Shack
 16 and 6000 series. The syntax was

  DISPLAY DATA-FIELD LINE 01 POSITION 40.

---which is not much different than what is used currently.

Unfortunately the  source code for the app itself (a G/L suite) 
was discarded during basement cleaning some time ago. and I only
have dim memories of how I did it back then. Still have the
documentation. 

> I have been following your posts over at TinyCobol.
> A point regarding your self-contained binaries.
> If the aim is to do a binary port onto another machine, then
> you may be violating licensing rules.
> Although the TC library (and OC's) are LGPL (as are the normal
> C, math, etc libs),  Berkeley DB >=3 and "readline" are NOT.
>
> Also you are going to have to be very careful when preparing this.
> For example - you are going to need to know how your gcc/glibc/libc
> has been generated. If your distro has gcc generated for >= i686 then
> it won't run on any other box that has Intel/AMD < i686.
> (And, of course, it will not run on Itanium or 64-bit Intel/AMD variants).
>
> Generally speaking, you should/must do a source port to the target machine.
>
> Cheers
>
> Roger

This kind of kills the idea of a portable application, which is
a shame. I can still make the source code available but the
target audience (self publishers) is not likely to be into 
compiling programs.

A Knoppix or Slax disk can be loaded into a machine, booted and
generally the apps run fine. I have booted Slax on my current 686
style AMD and also an old Compaq Deskpro I picked up on Ebay. I
suppose the creators of e.g., Open Office compile to the lowest
common denominator. 

-- 
John Culleton
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