Hi Everyone, Thanks so much for all the comments and suggestions. John thanks for posting your stuff...that helps me a lot to relearn.
I currently have three sites I may have mentioned in a previous email. They are empty as I just registered them last week. The first that I would like to set up would be cobolforums.com. Immediately upon setting it up I did the one click install that my hosting service has of phpBB forums. However I would lot to create a forum setup in Cobol instead. I have access to a mysql DB which is fine. Or I could simply use the Berkley db that comes (kinda) built in with OC.
So I forsee a couple of things I need to do...
1.. I have to learn to compile all the libraries (including the berkley, ncurses etc..) into the binary. I tried running one of my binaries on my providers service and go a missing library error. I doubt they will install the libraries for me. Though I might be able to untar them myself and create pointers,
this would be a last ditch option.
2.. I need to interface to cgi for output (accomplished already).
3.. I need to be able to read in the various cgi incoming variables (get and post). (An email has already explained parts of this..so I have to get vers .33 going on my system.)
4. I need to interface either to mysql (the preferred method?) or directly to the berkley or other db libraries.
I already know html, and css reasonably well. No my stuff aint pretty but it does work. So the starting output would be basic and not to attractive but we would be able to read and search cobolforums with a cobol backend. That's the goal.
No php...just a heads upon that. That's the real goal:)
A stage later down the line we can create templates using CSS that way the look of the site can be modified merely by choosing a different css. I'll talk to some designers about that later.
I imagine that a lot of yall are busy. So I will try to do
what I can on this. Study and such as well. But if anyone would like to start to show the power of cobol and that its not dead as is so often claimed...this might be a cool way to do it. And I am willing (ok hoping askin prayin beggin :) for any participation that is offered.
Thanks kindly and best regards, Joseph James Frantz