IBM, ANIS/ISO, 68 / 74 file types (was: Cobol language dictionary page -- assignment

"John Culleton" <john@wexfordpress.com> wrote in message
news:TcudnWj68fFBsf_eRVn-vg@adelphia.com...
>
<much snippage 
> To answer some other posts, we had both relative and indexed files in 1968
> in IBM compilers. The '74 changes blessed these, regularized them, and for
> that we should give thanks. I-S access method is one of the few things tha
t
> COBOL has and other languages don't. Most have to interface with an
> external DBMS to get that capability.
>

Thank GOODNESS that the IBM file access and SYNTAX for BDAM (relative) and I
SAM
(Indexed) files died a WELL deserved death.  It was HARDLY a matter of ANSI/
ISO
giving "blessing" to the IBM syntax (of rupport).  Although IBM did keep sup
port
for their earlier "attempts" thru the end of OS/VS COBOL (whether LANGLVL(1)
 or
(2) was specified), they did include full support for the '74 Syntax (and
eventually VSAM instead of ISAM) in OS/VS COBOL - and with VS COBOL II (and
later) these earlier formats are simply GONE.


--
Bill Klein
wmklein <at> ix.netcom.com

> Thank GOODNESS that the IBM file access and SYNTAX for BDAM (relative)
> and ISAM (Indexed) files died a WELL deserved death. It was HARDLY a matte
r
> of ANSI/ISO giving "blessing" to the IBM syntax (of rupport).

I recently downloaded a scan of the ICL 1900 Cobol Manual from
icl1900.co.uk. Ah the memories. This compiler was a mix of '68 and '74
and had SEEK instead of the later START, and many other differences
from'74.