Product Description
Designed specifically for COBOL programmers, DB2 for the COBOL Programmer, Part 2 takes up where Part 1 leaves off. Part 1 covers the essentials needed to write any COBOL program that handles DB2 data. Part 2 builds on that base to give you advanced DB2 skills, so you can become a top senior programmer or programmer/analyst in your shop.

That means you'll learn:

How to use stored procedures that move SQL code off of the client and onto the database server to reduce network overhead

How to use dynamic SQL so your programs can generate and execute SQL statements as they run

How data sharing works on the parallel sysplex and other System/390 configurations

How to work with distributed DB2 data

How to process DB2 data in CICS programs

Advanced locking concepts that show how locking and data sharing affect each other and what impact that has on program efficiency

The concepts and practices of DB2 database administration that let the programmer design databases, manage database objectives, and set up a quality assurance environment ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

DB2 for the COBOL Programmer, Part 2, 2nd Ed.
-excelent part about DB2 working in sysples, locking mechanism
-excelent part about stored procedures
-good introduction to database administration

Want to advance your DB2/SQL skills?A "MUST HAVE"!
Buy this book!!! Some computer books are written by computer geeks who know
their technical stuff cold. They can't teach worth a darn, but they are
deep technical wizards who are highly versed in techno-babble. The worst
part of it usually is, they aren't even aware when they are babbling their
techno-nonsense!!! The people who wrote the Murach series are NOT (let me
repeat, the Murach folks are NOT) such people. It was the most amazing
experience to have read this book, and to have had the feeling that either
Curtis Garvin or Anne Prince were looking directly over my shoulder
anticipating the various questions that inevitably arose. This book is
incredibly well structured. It is written clearly, concisely, and with
relevant in-depth examples. The authors take pains to ensure that they
present their programming examples without (WITHOUT!!!) falling into the
trap of disjointed techno-babble so common to such books. Again, you get
more than your money's worth with this book. Buy it, and recommend it to
anyone else who wants to learn, refresh, or EXTEND their DB2/COBOL skills.

An excellent choice.You get MORE than your money's worth!
Buy this book!!!Some computer books are written by computer geeks who know their technical stuff cold.They can't teach worth a darn, but they are deep technical wizards highly versed in techno-babble.The people who wrote the Murach series are NOT (let me repeat, the Murach folks are NOT) such people.It was the most amazing experience to have read this book, and to have the feeling that either Curtis Garvin or Anne Prince were looking directly over one's shoulder anticipating the various questions that inevitably arose.This book is incredibly well structured.It is written clearly, concisely, and with relevant in-depth examples.The authors take pains to ensure that they present their programming examples without (WITHOUT!!!) falling into the trap of disjointed techno-babble so common to such books.Again, you get more than your money's worth with this book.Buy it, and recommend it to anyone else who wants to learn or refresh their DB2/COBOL skills.

DB2 for the COBOL Programmer
I started a new job and needed to learn DB2 in a hurry.I bought part 1 and part 2.I was coding in no time.But the best part is they make excellent reference books because they are laid out so well.These books are well worth the investment.

Advanced Topics in DB2
This readable volume covers DB2 data sharing, stored procedures, DB2/CICS interface, DB2 database objects, and the SQL EXPLAIN.Model programs and JCL can be downloaded from the web.I look forward to an instructor'sguide (hint to Murach) as they have for other publications. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides a fully integrated explanation of the Y2K problem and its remedies, why it occured, and suggestions for making all COBOL code Y2K compliant.Softcover.3 1/2 inch disk included. DLC: COBOL (Computer programming language). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Does ANYONE like COBOL?
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID.COBOL SUCKS.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE_CONTROL.SELECT I-H8-COBOL ASSIGN TO DISK1.

DATA DIVISION.
FILE SELECTION.
FD I-H8-COBOL
01 SORE-FINGERS-REC
>>>>>05 DO-I-ACTUALLY-HAVEPICTURE X(10)
>>>>>05 TO--TYPE--ALL-THISPICTURE X(10)
>>>>>05 YES-YOU-DOPICTURE X(10)

WORKING-STORAGE-SECTION.
01 BLEEDING-FROM-EYES PICTURE X VALUE 'Y'
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
100-MAIN-MODULE.
>>>>>OPEN INPUT I-H8-COBOL
>>>>>PERFORM UNTIL BLEEDING-FROM-EYES = 'N'
>>>>>>READ I-H8-COBOL
>>>>>>>AT END
>>>>>>>>>MOVE 'N' TO BLEEDING-FROM-EYES
>>>>>>>NOT AT END
>>>>>>>>>** YOUR EYES ARE STILL BLEEDING **
>>>>>>END-READ
>>>>>END PERFORM
>>>>CLOSE I-H8-COBOL
STOP RUN.**THANK GOODNESS**

BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK
I ALSO HAVE TO USE THIS BOOK FOR MY CLASS AND I'VE HAVENT EVEN GOT PAST CHAPTER 1. I GET LOST IN WHAT EVER POINT THE AUTHOR IS TRYING TO MAKE WHY DO THEY HAVE TO MAKE THINGS SO COMPLICATED.

It's not a Book to Learn From
I use this COBOL book for my class that I have at College, and I haveworked through it and I know no more than I did when I strated.I feelstrongly that this book is not a good source to learn COBOL, and is notuser freindly.

Mediocre
If you enjoy COBOL enough, maybe you'll really try to sit down with this book.I had to use this book for a COBOL college class and, boy, was it not that great.The book is very verbose, like COBOL itself.

I recommendnot purchasing this book and instead getting a different book on COBOL.Onthe other hand, if you truly love COBOL then maybe this is the book foryou.All I know is that I did not learn anything from this book except howto ruin a perfectly good afternoon.

structured cobol programming : for the year 2000 and beyond
identification division environment division select claus ... Read more

Product Description
Mike Fendalton is a once-in-a-generation programmer - totally inept and unspeakably unlucky.His life in Braintree, Essex, revolves around the pub, work and failing to get lucky with women. So it comes as a major surprise when aliens abduct him to help them fix their enormous, out-of-control planetary defence system.It is an event that is to change his life completely.
"Saving Romford" is a humorous antidote to those books and television programs about genius programmers who can divert enemy missiles and break into the Pentagon's computers using nothing but a cellphone and a laptop.Our hero is a 9 to 5 slob who is far more concerned with his own well-being than that of his long-suffering employer.
Saving Romford is proving to be a very popular book with computer people and as a retirement or birthday gift for people in the computer industry. ... Read more

Product Description
COBOL, one of the oldest programming languages in current use, still provides the framework for many vital business, finance, and administrative programs and systems that companies and governments use in day-to-day activities. Scores of organizations are deciding to replace these legacy systems, including their core business systems, with more modern ones written in Java. The people who support these systems are valuable repositories of business process information, and they know how computer systems are used to meet those business process requirements. But they often don?t know Java. That?s where this book comes in. Java for COBOL Programmers,Third Edition uses COBOL examples to teach object-oriented principles and Java syntax. Instead of describing the Java object concepts and syntax in the abstract, or based on references using C or C++ programming languages, Java for COBOL Programmers, Third Edition presents various object-oriented concepts first in a COBOL context, and then in the Java syntax that supports this concept.Then, after users are familiar with the underlying concepts, additional Java language rules are defined. For programmers trying to use Java in a real-world environment, this third edition has been updated to reflect the latest developments in the Java language and programming standards. Advances in the language, such as the new Generics feature, are covered. New alternatives for stream-based input and output processing methods are introduced, along with the latest XML processing options in Java. Also new in this edition is a chapter on the Eclipse graphical integrated development environment. This product is presented using a guided, step-by-step progression. You can use the chapter exercises to explore helpful Eclipse features, such as smart editing, debugging, and refactoring. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Useless
Having some knowledge of Java, I was reviewing this book in order to recommend it to my Cobol development department.I assumed from the name that it would help us learn Java quicker.Unfortunately, within the first 40 pages I found several errors and found the book confusing.Several of the examples didn't match the text.All in all, I was completely confused before reading chapter 3.I do not recommend this book for anyone that doesn't have a decent grasp of Java to begin with.

its an ok second source
The book is "ok".A lot of the example are incomplete.I have not gotten past getting my drive mapped so I can execute Java Code.It does a good job of identifying the command components.I have not found a better source to compare my base knowledge to Java. I would not recommend it at this time.Trust your insistent and your probably correct.There were no surprises. ... Read more

Product Description
COBOL Unleashed presents real-world solutions to the key programming problems facing COBOL programmers today.These solutions will be presented in a topic-by-topic method that will allow the reader to skip around the book to find the solutions key to them, without having to read the entire book from start to finish. Key topics include:- Year 2000 Problems and Solutions.- Legacy code migration, maintenance and reengineering.- Interoperability and compatibility of legacy systems.- Client/Server COBOL.- COBOL Database programming.- Transaction Processing.- Dynamic File Allocation.- Object-Oriented COBOL and COBOL 9X.- Tools and Vendors Appendix.- Syntax Reference Appendix.

• 125 billion lines of cable code must be inspected for Year 2000 compliance, increasing the demand for COBOL
• COBOL is a programming language for legacy systems for most large corporations
• Covers the key topics for COBOL programmers today: Year 2000 issues; legacy code migration, maintenance and integration; client/server COBOL; COBOL database programming: and object-oriented COBOL

Customer Reviews (5)

Can U sugest me howmuch useful this book to me
Hey I am team leader who is into a RE-ENGG project from IDMS TO web technologies.Can somebody tell me how good this book suits my requirement.
Thanks in advance.

Very helpful for the new programmer!
The book really helped me in clearing up areas that my advanced COBOL teacher was not very clear in.

I think it will be a good reference book for the future.

Comprehensive reference of COBOL, databases, VSAM, etc.
This is the most comprehensive COBOL reference that I have seen in my 20 years in the business.I bought it specifically for the IDMS chapter, but it also covers other database types.It is well organized and gets rightto the point with code examples and diagrams.If I were to have only oneCOBOL reference this would be it.

A great reference on areas of COBOL rarely covered.
Pay attention to where this books says it does not teachprogramming.

_ALL_ code examples assume familiarity with COBOL andfamiliarity with programming.Most are simply free-form code examplesdesigned to inform, not actual programs.

As for a reference, if this bookmissed it, I didn't notice.It's already helped me on a number of issues,including covering why SECTIONs exist (something not even my compilervendor manuals tackle, and I've certainly never seen anywhere else).

I'veseen a few typos, but they were obvious (again, you need to be a programmeralready to spot this stuff).

The CD-ROM has several demo compilers andthe code examples from the book.I haven't used any of them, but have readabout others liking them.

Overall, a good book and a great buy.

Great IDMS Chapter
This is one of the few books that contains anything about IDMS.All otherIDMS books are out of print and hard to find.I authored Chapter 23 - TheIDMS Chapter. ... Read more

Product Description
The Ultimate Reference & Learning Guide for COBOL programming careers! Over 150 Certification Questions, Answers, and ExplanationsIt's clear that even today global demand for COBOL programmers is robust.Practitioners who wish to remain competitive in the global market need new resources.And finding these resources can be difficult.This book is the direct response to demand for information you can use right now in your COBOL programming career.Over 150 COBOL Interview Questions, Answers, and Explanations guide you through the learning process.From helping you to assess your COBOL skills to evaluating candidates for a job, COBOL Interview Questions, Answers, & Explanations will help you understand what you really need to know and what you can safely ignore.The book is organized around COBOL's defining features, standards, and common applications.Each question includes everything you need to know to master the interview or properly evaluate a candidate, and is based on project knowledge and experience gained on successful high-profile COBOL implementations.Key certification and interview topics include: COBOL standards, Challenges with configuration and platforms like CICS.This book also includes code samples, and information about synthesis, interoperability, and system monitoring and security. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Don't waste your money!
Who paid the first two reviewers of this book? This book has so many problems.... where do I start?
1) Nothing new is presented in this book. All the questions and answers came from web sites. You can search the web and get the same information. The author does not even make an effort to organize the data or edit the data for accuracy.
2) Some of the answers are wrong. For example, question 87 claims that you can not move a COMP-3 field to an edited field.... so untrue!
3) Some of the questions are repeated. In some cases a slightly different answer is given and in other cases the same answer is given. There are NOT 150 unique questions, just 150 questions. Also, as mentioned above, the same questions are not grouped together, but they are scattered throughout the book. This makes it hard to compare the slightly different answers. The back cover claims there are OVER 150 questions and answers. I guess the key word there is AND. There are 150 questions and 150 answers, which is a total of 300 questions and answers!
4) The index in the back of the book gives the wrong pages. If you think you've seen a question before and look in the index to find it, you'll be lead to the page two pages before the true page. At least the error is consistent!
5) Some of the questions are too theoretical.... in other words, not very applicable for an interview and not important if you are learning COBOL. Again, the author failed to add value by picking the best questions.

really nice book
I don't see any other books that pay this close attention to a very important job market: Legacy systems. Specifically, COBOL.

Considering that all of the baby boomers who wrote this code and deployed original systems are eithre retiring for good -- or coming out of retirement to work as contract programmers, I think that this
book is the right book at the right time.

It includes information on programming theory like "What does passing by content mean?"

and also practical COBOL-specific issues like "What guidelines should be followed to write a structured COBOL program?"

In any case, I think that COBOL is an often overlooked market, and
anyone that wants a secure job should consider learning COBOL.

This is not a comprehensive programming guide, however - this book
will help you land the job.

if you want to learn COBOL
Then you should consider this book. This is not a comprehensive
COBOL programming manual - which you should purchase.

Rather, this is a book to help you pick up a job in COBOL. If you
are interested in finding out the most important aspects of COBOL,
and how to best prepare yourself for a job interview in a hurry -
then save yourself some time and purchase this book.

If you need a programming reference, then this is not the book for you.

This book helps you save time if you are preparing for a job.
and that is the purpose of this book.

... Read more

Product Description
Are You Ready to Meet the Demand for Object COBOL Programming? Now you can keep up-to-date with the newest standards in COBOL. With its use of straightforward language and real-world examples, An Introduction To Object COBOL is a concise and accessible introduction to using Object COBOL. You'll discover how object technology is applied and how the resulting Object COBOL code is constructed.You are encouraged to execute and experiment with them. As you work with these programs and follow the related case study, you will gain important experience in using Object COBOL in a business environment. Inside these pages you will:
* Keep up-to-date with the state-of-the-art in COBOL programming.
* Understand the relationship of object technology to the business environment.
* See how object technology is applied to real-life examples.
* Receive a non-technical introduction to object technology without the use of intensive vocabulary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Superior Introduction to OO-COBOL
For the individual who has a strong COBOL background and needs an introduction to applying that knowledge to the Object Oriented concepts and approach to programming. This is the best introductory book I have seen todate. (01/99).It is written in a straightforward manner, with a highdegree of clarity, and is easily understood. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the ideal book for the tens of thousands of COBOL programmers in business who want to become quickly proficient in C. Written by an experienced business data systems engineer, it is a true survival guide which uses the reader's knowledge of COBOL to build a framework for learning C easily and quickly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very good Book for COBOL programmers to learn C
Very simple English representations and very easy to understand , when you already know COBOL. Comparisons with COBOL and C - chapters are very good. Repetions inside this book is very usefull and this will always give you a good feeling.Also you can refresh your COBOL knowhow with this Book.I am really happy to get this book.

Elbin Abey.

Good Reference
I found most C training books frustrating because I had too many questions, questions about file structure, storage, and definitions.This book explained the answers in a language I could understand, Cobol.I would not use this book as the sole teacher of the C language but it sure relieved many of the frustrations I had in the beginning.Gearing's approach was almost the complete opposite of every other C book and I think I needed both approaches to obtain the desired result, learning C. ... Read more

Product Description
Easy-to-use guide to the COBOL programming language, including ANSI-85 COBOL. Filled with helpful icons and plain English explanations. Spiral.Amazon.com Review
Designed to lay open at your side as you write COBOL programs,COBOL for Dummies Quick Reference is a simple guide forprogrammers already familiar with the language. This book won't teachyou to write in COBOL; rather, it will help jog your memory when youforget exactly how to do something.

Each section is organizedaround the various parts of COBOL programs, explaining commands andsyntax you'll use in each division of a program (IDENTIFICATIONDIVISION, DATA DIVISION, PROCEDURE DIVISION, and so on). Within eachpart, statements are listed alphabetically for easy reference. Eachentry features a couple of paragraphs about what the statement doesand, usually, an illustrative code example. A separate section listsall COBOL verbs. Other chapters briefly address flowcharting,debugging, compiler comparisons, the year 2000 problem, and othersubjects that could fill entire books by themselves.

Don't expectthis book to explain COBOL to you. Do, however, expect it to remindyou of key concepts while you're in the midst of coding or to clue youin to new procedures as you read under less urgent circumstances. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Key topics missing
Excellent book, severly let down due to not having any of the COBOL 8542 Intrinsic functions shown or displayed (e.g. CURRENT-DATE). I am amazed that such things could have been missed from such a good book. ... Read more

Product Description
Ideal for readers with little programming and/or mathematical background, this practical introduction to Cobol programming uses a simplified, "learn-by-example" approach that stresses top-down design and modular structured programming and emphasizesthe planning and development of the program logic throughout - with complete programming examples that walk users through the problem analysis, logic design, program coding, testing, and debugging. Introduces two or more realistic sample programs in each chapter which demonstrate application of the program development process to an actual programming situation from start to finish - covering everything from problem definition to input/output specifications, processing requirements, hierarchy charts, program flowcharts, pseudocode, and program code. Stresses the importance of using top-down logic design and modular structure programming to construct high-quality, easy-to-read programs. Dissects program code and explains step-by-step how the program statements work together to produce the desired output. Examines menu-driven programming, data validation, guidelines for creating efficient and effective menu systems, and sequential, relative and indexed files. Checkpoint exercises, chapter summaries, and programming projects are included. For electronic and computer technology professionals. . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Might be better for a beginner to programming in general
This book provides an introduction to programming though COBOL. I don't find the writing style very clean or neat at all, things don't seem very structured either. As most beginner programming books do, this one spends a lot of time talking about universal concepts like variables and loops. This is good if you don't already know programming, but is very cumbersome if you have been programming for many years like I have. I found it hard to pick out the useful information that I needed to learn COBOL, I was not able to construct a program at all in COBOL since I do not want to do the course and learn things I already know.

In short, if you have never programmed this book may be a good one for you. But if you understand all major programming concepts this book will put you to sleep. ... Read more

Product Description
Reflecting IBM's belief that all future mainframe COBOL development will be on VS COBOL II, this edition has been revised and updated to include the latest developments in the field. The text has additional chapters on MVS 390 JCL, debugging, CICS support and double-byte character sets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Micro Focus COBOL?A little old to be relevant.
The book truly was in great shape; clean and unmarked.Unfortunately the book was printed in 1982, which I didn't see from the picture.The book was well written and informational but was written for a much older version of Micro Focus COBOL than I had.

Very Useful Cobol Book
I bought this book because I already owned it's predecessor (same title, but for VS COBOL) and had found it to be extremely valuable. I still have it and use it occasionally when I have to work on old programs and need toclearify something.I have been coding in COBOL since the late 1960's.This is the best book I have ever owned on the topic. It is well organizedand provides the answers I need when confronted by something I do not havecommitted to memory. I have used it so much it is falling apart and I needa new copy. I own several other COBOL books (about a half dozen) that arenot bad, but this one is the best. I have been hoping Dr. Brown would comeout with a new version covering COBOL for LE. I will buy it if and when hedoes. ... Read more

Product Description
This book shows you how to learn COBOL on your own. It also includes coverage of Micro Focus Personal COBOL, a PC-based compiler for trainees who didn't have access to a mainframe and who wanted to learn on their own PCs.

However, Micro Focus has dropped Personal COBOL from its line, so Murach has published Murach’s Mainframe COBOL, ISBN: 1890774243, in which all examples of PC COBOL have been dropped...a much cleaner presentation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

i need cd
I got the book but my CD is cracked so it did not work. Can anyone send me the cd contents ....just data files should be enough for me to carry out my student projects... thanks!!!!

Murach's Structured COBOL
I've just browsed this book, which was delivered just 5 minutes ago, but I was very disapointed. Most examples are still in the old fashion COBOL way from the 70's and are not taking advantage of "Mixed Case", "Scope Terminators"(not even mentioned in the index), which makes a COBOL program structured. Use of the "full stop (.)" should be forbidden, where it's not needed, and that's only at the end of a paragraph. Using "MOVE 'Y' TO EOF_SWITCH" instead of "Set EOF to True" even more disqualifies this book as a "structured programming" book, which should be more up-to-date in thinking of how to use Cobol. The examples on OO-Cobol seem to be ok, maybe written by another author?
This book is of course a good reference for Cobol programmers, but I was expecting a more "modern" aproach to using the Cobol language and have examples "extremly" structured and in every minute take advantage of possibilities available in the language. Younger programmers are used to other structured languages, e.g Visual Basic and Java, and should be informed that the Cobol language is not a "left over from the 60's" but is is real structured programming language. Old programs have to be rewritten or Cobol will not survive. My expectation was that Murach would help us, but this is not really the case!

The Guru of Mainframe Transaction Based Programming
I have been reading Mike Murach books for decades now, and keep several on my desk. The CICS Desk Reference, for example, written by Doug Lowe, is still THE definitive reference for CICS programming. As one who has been around COBOL programming since the early 70's when Grace Hopper introduced it, I think this is one best books on the subject ever written.

How to code, compile, test, and debug interactive programs
Murach's Structured COBOL is a complete course in the use of COBOL in a single 780-page volume. Mike Murach, Anne Prince, and Raul Menendez collaborate to cover all aspects from getting started and special-purpose features to file handling and the use of COBOL for specific platforms. Readers will learn how to code, compile, test, and debug interactive programs; the best techniques for designing and coding structured programs; the specifics necessary for developing programs for IBM mainframes; fourteen full programs and dozens of coding examples to enable the coding of the reader's own programs; and exercises at the end of each chapter to provide a maximum amount of applied practice in a minimum of time on your own personal computer. The informative, "user friendly" text is accompanied by a CD-ROM. Murach's Structured COBOL is very highly recommended for the novice approaching COBOL for the first time, and has much of value for even the seasoned, experienced COBOL user.

If you write COBOL programs (or want to), you need this book
Structured COBOL is a brand new addition to the excellent catalog of mainframe computer programming books published by Mike Murach and Associates.If you are programming on the IBM mainframe platform, or intend to be, this is a title you should have on your desk.Although beginning programmers are included in the target audience, the real value of this material will be as a reference for on-the-job programmers.

At more than 760 pages, it covers everything you would need to research.Information is presented in an innovative format where each page of narrative is paired with a facing page containing a concise statement of COBOL syntax, suggested guidelines for the use of the COBOL feature, and one or more practical examples of the feature in code.

If you are a beginning programmer, the coverage of structured design, coding, and testing methodology is the best I have ever seen.Used as a text to learn COBOL, the language syntax is designed to be generic enough to work under any COBOL compiler.The chapters of the first section of the book are intended to be read in sequence as the information they provide each builds on the prior chapter. You will be writing COBOL code beginning in chapter 2.The remaining sections cover advanced, special-purpose features and techniques and may be read in the order that best suits the reader.

Although the COBOL coding is generic enough to be useful on any platform and compiler, the ultimate goal of the book is aimed at the IBM mainframe environment.The last section of the text covers such IBM specific topics as using ISPF and SDSF to edit, compile, and debug a COBOL program.It also includes sections on designing COBOL programs to run under CICS and to access DB2 databases.

As with all Murach books, the focus of Structured COBOL is getting real work done in the real world.All of the example code in the book can be applied directly to real world situations:dealing with pre-2000 dates in legacy programs, updating sequential files using matching record techniques, and creating and updating indexed datasets with primary only or primary plus alternate record keys.There is even a section describing how to deal with maintenance on programs written prior to the advent of structured design methods.

If you are looking for a single COBOL book for your library, take a look at Murach's Structured COBOL. ... Read more

Product Description
The IBM Cobol Enviroment ... Read more

Product Description
Part of the highly successful Shelly Cashman Series, this introductory book allows the user to write error free, reliable, and easy to modify COBOL programs right from the start. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Amazon buying experience
It was easy to purchase the books and they came within the time frame that they said they would and they were not damaged so I was very happy with this experience.

A COBOL STANDARD
Used earlier of this text years ago and know many COBOL programmers who did the same.This later version is a nice update covering ANSI updates and taking into account new compilers and runtimes especially for Unix, Linux and Windows.A good, solid COBOL reference.

Great book for learning COBOL
I am finishing up my first semester of COBOL. I find this book to be a very good one, especially compared to the textbooks I've used for some other languages

COBOL is verbose, of course, and the examples in the book are quite long, but there's nothing stopping a person from experimenting with shorter programs.

The book could have done a better job just teaching some of the simpler things, 'Hello World', he does have a point in that review. But overall, it's an excellent book to learn how to code COBOL.

You might want to get another book or two on the basics, I find any book by Doug Lowe very easy to read and learn from. And Arthur Griffith has a 'COBOL for Dummies' which is very good.

But I believe you will find this book to be very useful though, like I said, it could have started a little simpler with some basic little programs for students to get a better taste of COBOL. I remember not being sure on a lot of things, but as I like to experiment, I just tried it until I figured it out.

Great transaction all-around
The transaction went quite smoothly.The shipping/delivery was most timely and the item condition was great too.Thanks!

MADNESS
"This book was developed specifically for a first course in structured COBOL programming. After completing this book, students should have a firm foundation in the concepts and techniques of structured program design and. ...should be able to solve variety of business-related application problems using COBOL."
I have to use this book for my COBOL course. The book is the mess. The book is for the students who never had any contact with COBOL; well, I don't have that feeling. The authors maybe know COBOL but they are definitely not the people who should teach others how to program with COBOL. They mentioned flowcharting, but they never explained flowcharting properly. In Chapter 2 they start with a large program and they try to explain it. Problem is that after few pages I didn't know what is what. Their approach is not to start with simple short programs that give introduction into programming that should help the student to develop, to learn different parts of program, they start with the max program and it is up to you to understand it or to drop it. In Chapter 3, Excersize 3, they ask the student to design and code a COBOL program that displays....
HELLO!!! You never showed me how to design and code a program and in Chapter 3 you ask me to do something. How to start, where to start?! How to design, how to code?!
Unfortunately, I have to use this book, but I am afraid that I will hate this book and COBOL because of this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Written by mainframe and midrange professionals GeorgeFarr and Phil Coulthard, Java for S/390 & AS/400 COBOL Programmers isdesigned to help COBOL programmers make the jump to Java. It teachesCOBOL programmers how to read and write Java programs and helps themunderstand the concepts necessary to continue to improve their Javaskills. Rather than serve merely as an overview, Java for S/390 &AS/400 COBOL Programmers is a massive work of more than 900 pages thataddresses Javas syntax and much of the Java Development Kits(JDKs) functionality through comparisons with COBOL. It alsointroduces applets, Java Native Interface (JNI), Remote MethodInvocation (RMI), serialization, JavaBeans, Enterprise JavaBeans,servlets, JavaServer Pages, and even Extensible Markup Language(XML). Because VisualAge for Java (VAJ) is by far the most widely usedJava tool among AS/400 and S/390 programmers, the book also includesan introduction to VAJ with both AS/400 and S/390 details. The bookcontains separate appendices, geared explicitly to OS/400 and OS/390readers, with platform-specific information.Many analysts arepredicting that Java will overtake COBOLs commanding lead as thelanguage of choice for business applications running on mainframe andmidrange computers. This leaves COBOL programmers with a hugeproblem. They do not know Java, nor do they understand object-orientedconcepts. They have never seen a function, let alone free-form C-stylesyntax, classes, objects, or methods. Although there are hundreds ofbooks about Java on the market, they all assume C, C++, or VisualBasic knowledge. It can be a humbling, daunting, and frustratingexperience for a COBOL professional to try to learn Java without theproper prerequisite knowledge. This book will make learning Java ascomfortable as possible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

more Java less COBOL
the book should focus on Java on AS400.
also it uses Visual Age which is outdated should use Websphere instead.
the code is not clear since it tries to compare COBOL(structure programing) with Java(Object Oriented

the book is outdated
the book should focus on Java on AS400.
also it uses Visual Age which is outdated should use Websphere instead.

the code is not clear since it tries to compare COBOL(structure programing) with Java(Object Oriented).

I love it
This is a great book for programmer from the procedural world trying to lear Java. There is lot of comparison to Cobol code. The examples are detailed and more real world much unlike the examples found in other Java books. Chapter 9 on Object orientation is gem.

...just like starting over...again
Instead of calling it "Java for Dummies" they decided to be niceto us old-timers and call it "Java for...Cobol programmers", butthat's OK. Prepare yourself for a thick heavy meal that must be digestedvery slowly. Not a stone left unturned, very, very meticulous. There is alot of exhaustive material so you will need a lot of time to go throughthis. Measure it not in weeks but perhaps in a few good months. But it willpush you a good way up the path that many of us must take, for those of uswho will not accept that there is more behind us than ahead of us. Go forit - and good luck to us all!

...just like starting over...again
Instead of calling it "Java for Dummies" they decided to be niceto us old-timers and call it "Java for...Cobol programmers", butthat's OK. Prepare yourself for a thick heavy meal that must be digestedvery slowly. Not a stone left unturned, very, very meticulous. There is alot of exhaustive material so you will need a lot of time to go throughthis. Measure it not in weeks but perhaps in a few good months. But it willpush you a good way up the path that many of us must take, for those of uswho will not accept that there is more behind us than ahead of us. Go forit - and good luck to us all! ... Read more

Product Description
This vital programming tool is a COBOL application development environment that includes an editor, a debugger, SQL support and utilities all in addition to a mainframe-compatible COBOL/2 compiler. Offers a complete, step-by-step overview of such Workbench fundamentals as installation, main menus, editing and more. Details the use of Checker and Animator for syntax checking and fast code debugging and provides comprehensive guidance for creating, down-loading, converting and testing applications from PC to mainframe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Works, but NOTE THE REQUIREMENTS
Bought this for a class.Does NOT want to install on Windows 7, and it absolutely requires Visual Studio 2005.I have not gotten in touch with Micro Focus support to see if there is a work-around for Windows 7 installation, but trying the setup command with various switches produces nothing for results.

Running on VM installation with Windows XP and Visual Studio 2005.It is working as it should.There is a version 5.1 of NetExpress, but I can't seem to locate it for purchase.It will work on Vista/7 and VS 2008 ... Read more

Product Description
Describes how to write, test and maintain COBOL programs on PC workstations and how to upload fully-tested, high-quality applications to the mainframe for implementation. Learning Workbench will result in dramatic productivity improvement, faster program turnaround time, massive reductions in mainframe CPU costs and incredible cutbacks in TSO charges. 14 example-packed chapters provide the skills needed to develop and maintain application programs under OS/2 or DOS on PCs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Good
Gave the book away. It was no good for self study or for learning Microfocus by your self. ... Read more

Product Description
* Teaches students to design programs so that they are easy to read, debug, modify, and maintain.
* Provides students with the ability to write well designed elementary, intermediate, and advanced structured COBOL programs in their entirety.
* Familiarizes students with information processing and systems concepts that will help them interact with users and systems analysts when designing programs.
* Familiarize students with programming tools such as pseudocode and hierarchy charts that make program logic more structured, modular, and top-down.
* Teaches students useful techniques for maintaining and modifying older "legacy" programs.
* Student disk containing all data for all programming assignments as well as the full Practice Program from each chapter.
* A fully integrated explanation of the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem and its remedies.
* Pedagogy--Debugging tips and critical thinking questions in each chapter. Each chapter also includes Internet assignments to familiarize students with sites that can be used to enhance their COBOL skills. ... Read more