Microsoft KB Archive/32976

COBOL Version 3.0 Fact Sheet: Converting from Versions 2.x

PSS ID Number: Q32976 Article last modified on 04-21-1993

3.00 3.00a | 3.00 3.00a MS-DOS | OS/2

Summary: The following article summarizes the features in Microsoft COBOL Compiler Versions 3.0 and 3.0a: 1. Real and protected mode OS/2 support 2. Full 1985 ANSI support; level HIGH 3. Native machine-language object code (generates .EXE files) 4. Support for HUGE-memory models (data items larger than 64K) 5. Compiler symbol-table limited only by disk space 6. 255 file handles open at once 7. Dialect options for increased support of mainframe COBOL 8. Communications support (COM1 and COM2 devices) 9. Tape-drive support (named device) 10. Up to four named print devices (multiple printers) 11. Full keyboard key trapping (cannot turn keys off) 12. Keyboard remapping 13. READ PREVIOUS capability 14. REPORT SECTION support 15. Interlanguage CALLing with the following: a. Microsoft C b. Microsoft FORTRAN c. Microsoft Pascal d. Microsoft Assembly e. Lattice C 16. No printer buffering 17. No formfeed when printer is CLOSEd (CR/LF at OPEN, however) 18. No CLS when program begins or when CHAINing 19. Function-key trapping no longer restricted to SCREEN SECTION 20. Includes Microsoft Editor and Utilities (including Incremental LINKer) 21. Animator debugger with conditional breakpoints, back-track, etc.

More Information: The following are possible concerns when converting COBOL Version 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2 programs to COBOL Version 3.0 or 3.0a: 1. Some recoding will be required when compiling programs that were written in COBOL Versions 2.x. 2. Some COBOL Versions 2.x syntax is no longer supported or is different (SCREEN SECTION, networking, some file status values). 3. COBOL Version 3.0 or 3.0a EXE files will be larger than COBOL Versions 2.x .INT files (up to four or five times larger).

Additional reference words: 3.00 3.00a Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.