Concurrent Computer Corp has launched a Cobol development software package called CoDE which it claims can improve the efficiency and performance of Cobol applications by more than 75%, while cutting development time. CoDE is based on the Micro Focus Cobol product set including as it does a Cobol compiler and interpreter, Animator symbolic debugger, Forms-2 package, a performance profiler, utilities and additional tools, but it differs from it in three main ways: firstly Concurrent had to write a new code generator for its chip set, translating the Micro Focus Cobol intermediate code into Concurrent’s object code. Secondly changes had to be made via the pre-processor to the compiler itself to provide an easy conversion path for users of Concurrent’s proprietary Cobol compiler. Finally run-time changes have been made so that the Micro Focus symbolic debugger runs within Concurrent’s Reliance transaction processing package. CoDE’s performance is achieved because it compiles and debugs in intermediate code, rather than having to go into binary to reach the hardware. The intermediate code can be interpreted directly providing a quick turnround, since code can be compiled and seen executing. In this way run-time errors or logic errors can be spotted in the intermediate code by running Micro Focus’ Animator which displays source code line by line on screen. In other words, CoDE has a fully functional symbolic debugger enabling the programmer to execute one part of the code, highlight it and see the output beside it. CoDE is designed for real-time applications such as securities and trading systems, banking, health-care, government services and insurance. It runs under Concurrent’s proprietary OS/32 operating system as well as under real-time Unix and is available direct from Concurrent. There is a tiered pricing structure for the set depending on the processor the developer uses.
