[comp.unix.xenix] MS Cobol problem: Microsoft went that-a-way

obb130t@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au (07/24/89)

If anyone is interested, I got one response to my query about MSCOBOL.
Thank you to Dave Close.  Unfortunately I cannot e-mail directly.
I enclose the following extract.

>I may be the only other news reader with Microsoft COBOL experience under 
>Xenix.  If so, please stay in touch and we can try to help each other.
>
>Microsoft has told me, via phone call to their support group in Washington, 
>that COBOL is a dead product.  They are not performing any development on it, 
>not even fixing bugs.  There are several which I have merely had to work around.

Indirectly, he gave me the answer.  The 386 C compiler defaults are 
incompatible with 286.  I had added "cc -M0" to resolve the model diagnostics, 
and then had to remove "fixhdr -v 3" before it would execute, which 
finally (somehow) disabled record locking!

Dave says:

>...I have modified the script to add -M2me to the cc line.  

This seems to work fine with the fixhdr left in.  I have not tested it 
thoroughly since the experience was enough to convince the customer to 
migrate to MicroFocus!

Bill Gates told me (at a presentation here a few months back) that 
Microsoft fully supports Unix/Xenix.  May I be permitted a gentle chortle?

..david..
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