Re: COBOL ILE - what future does it have?

 >> and will it ever be able to do some of the things Java can do
today?(Internet, client/server etc)

COBOL (particularly on the AS/400) has not progressed as quickly in recent
years as RPG - partly because the investment for the OO COBOL compiler as
defined for ANSI is horrific given the number of COBOL users on AS/400.
Partly because IBM "own" RPG and can do anything they like without having
to worry about ANSI standards.

That said I have to disagree with your apparent notion that COBOL today
can't do the Internet and C/S stuff.  It can.  For Web stuff check out
www.easy400.ibm.it where you will find some COBOL CGI information although
it uses the "old" CGIDEV2 library and the latest COBOL release can use
CGIDEV2 directly.  E-mail me if you want to see some simple COBOL web
examples.  As to C/S there are various PC and Linux/Unix "flavors" of COBOL
that can be used to front end AS/400 server code.  For that matter use Java
to front-end server code.

IBM's recent announcements on WebFacing and Affinity are as applicable to
COBOL as RPG and can "webulate" your existing code.  The latest (V5)
release increases affinity between COBOL and Java and subsequent releases
will take that further.

That's enough for now - we can discuss any specific elements of what I've
said here if you want.

Jon Paris
Jon.Paris@e400.com

www.e400.com - A new wave of iSeries and AS/400 Education

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