COBOL Compiler Responses

[utzoo!decvax!pur-ee!davy]

A while back I asked for information on Cobol compilers for UNIX.
Here are the answers I got:

	There is a cobol for several unix systems from Ryan-McFarland, I don't
	know much about them, but it is available on the Onyx and BBN C machine
	for sure, and maybe others.

	Yes, there is one available, and I think it is advertized through
	Whitesmith's, but I will check it out ASAP.

I also received one account of someone's experience with the Ryan-McFarland
compiler:

	My wife has used the Ryan-McFarland COBOL compiler on the  ONYX  in  a
	beginning COBOL class, and we found no significant departures from the 
	COBOL being taught in the class other than the lack of a few features. 

	I barely know COBOL, but its manual describes its  compliance  to  the
	ANSI COBOL standard as "Level 1" plus a few "Level 2" features. 

	In other words,  it  looks  like  the  compiler  is  quite  sound  and
	approximately complete. 

Thanks to ittvax!cox, pur-ee!sb, and sii!wje

--Dave Curry
pur-ee!davy