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GCOS-8 COBOL Workbench


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Product Summary

GCOS-8 COBOL Workbench (G8WB) introduces a full feature and inexpensive GCOS8 environment on your desktop workstation. Your professional programmers can develop and maintain full scale GCOS8 application systems on a dedicated workstation, completely independent of the mainframe. Substantial productivity gains can be achieved through a responsive environment, richer in functionality and features than anything available on the mainframe. Besides improving production, quality and general work satisfaction, the workbench environment will decrease the workload on the mainframe considerably.

GCOS-8 COBOL Workbench is the strategic choice for state-of-the-art mainframe application development.

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Key Features

G8WB support TPFF, TSM8, DIMS8, FORMAT, Arrowtalk, SOLD and SOLD+ Forms software. Forms emulation utilize standard terminal emulators, thus the end-user apperance will be exactly like the GCOS8 target environment.
A universal screen painter (WUSP) provides a consistent, user-friendly and efficient enviroment for forms development and maintenance, and includes tools to assist you in importing and exporting forms from the GCOS8 environment.

The traditional Edit-Compile-Test cycle becomes very effective with G8WB. The Editor is COBOL oriented and makes program editing much easier. The integration with the compiler allows you to compile the program by clicking a button. When compile errors are detected, these are highlighted in the source and programmer may easily navigate between these and correct errors. Copy members (including subschema) may be opened with the click of a button during editing. Syntax is colorized to make reading of program easier.

The single most powerful feature of G8WB is Visual Animation, which allow the programmer to view the original program source as it executes. COBOL Animator has many features to control execution (break-points, restart, etc.) and verify execution ( query fields, monitor fields, query IDS-II currencies etc.). COBOL Animator also provides intelligence on how the program is being tested (coverage statistics), data item usage etc.
During testing you may even execute COBOL/IDS-II statements on the fly, and edit the source as you go along. Live debugging instead of post mortem analysis is very effective, and fun too.

G8WB support standard terminal clients either through the built-in terminal emulators, or through your favorite terminal emulator software, ex. Glink, VTD. G8WB also fully support WEB8.
Client Applications - GUI or non-GUI front-end utilizing various software layer before entering GCOS8 as a DSA session, are supported through the Open Client Toolkit of  G8WB. The powerful client support, allows you to test virtually any kind of TP application within the advanced G8WB environment.

G8WB provides a natural interface to other workstation based software, such as: CASE tools, Editors, Project Management, Version Management etc.
G8WB may be used with products like PACBASE, JSP Workbench, INSTALL/1, FOUNDATION and NATSTAR, TURNKEY, PVCS, CONTINUUS, RCS and Visual Source-Safe.
The Open Concept of G8WB allows you to implement and integrate own developed mainframe tools, such as: Data Dictionary, Preprocessor and Version Management.
G8WB contains full support for Y2K and has added features for Y2K testing.

G8WB provides a number of Open Toolkits, which allows you to implement own developed User Procedures (TP), Forms software, Distributed Print software, GMAP modules, Client interfaces etc.
Own developed procedures/tools are easily developed with COBOL Workbench and the standard tools framework of G8WB, thus own developed features and functionality may be integrated with G8WB with the same look and feel.

G8WB is available in both a 16-bit and 32-bit version and may be deployed in a networked PC workstation environment under DOS, Windows 3.x, 95, NT or OS/2. Minimum configuration: 486/Pentium, 8-16MB memory and 100MB disk. All LAN environments are supported.
G8WB includes both a PC and GCOS8 mainframe environment, and may be extended to support IBM mainframe also.

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Developing GCOS8 Applications

The traditional Edit-Compile-Test cycle becomes very effective with G8WB. The Editor is COBOL oriented and makes program editing much easier. The integration with the compiler allows you to compile the program by clicking a button. When compile errors are detected, these are highlighted in the source and programmer may easily navigate between these and correct errors. Copy members (including subschema) may be opened with the click of a button during editing. Syntax is colorized to make reading of program easier.

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Testing GCOS8 Applications

The single most powerful feature of G8WB is Visual Animation, which allow the programmer to view the original program source as it executes. COBOL Animator has many features to control execution (break-points, restart, etc.) and verify execution ( query fields, monitor fields, query IDS-II currencies etc.). COBOL Animator also provides intelligence on how the program is being tested (coverage statistics), data item usage etc.
During testing you may even execute COBOL/IDS-II statements on the fly, and edit the source as you go along. Live debugging instead of post mortem analysis is very effective, and fun too.

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Advanced GUI Organizer

In the 32-bit version, the Advanced GUI Organizer provides an up-to-date Object-Action method of working with application components, very much similar to what C++, Visual Basic, Delphi and other development environments are offering. Your projects are organized in folders, with application components readily available. A type-sensitive action menu will pop-up when you click the right mouse button. From this menu you simply launch whatever action you required. Multiple application components may be selected and launched as a group for the action, ex. syntax-check of multiple programs.

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Micro Focus & XDB-DB2 Workbench

GCOS-8 COBOL Workbench (G8WB) is based on the COBOL Workbench product line from Micro Focus - the leading COBOL vendor, and it provides a truly integrated environment for GCOS8, similar to what Micro Focus offer to an IBM Mainframe customer. G8WB components are all developed in COBOL, using Micro Focus Workbench for development and test. This approach will ensure G8WB customers will have a mature and up-to-date product, fully supported by both B & C Solution, Micro Focus and BULL.

G8WB thus provides both an environment for GCOS8 Mainframe Application development and maintenance, and an environment for PC and PC-distributed Application development and maintenance, including Object-Oriented COBOL. Add-on modules from Micro Focus extend this environment to include IBM Mainframe Application development and maintenance. Micro Focus NetExpress further extend this environment to include Web Application development and maintenance.

Follow these links for further information on    products.

Micro Focus Workbench v4.0 (32-bit)

Micro Focus Workbench v3.4 (16-bit)

Micro Focus NetExpress

G8WB's support of BULL's INTEREL/RFM is based on the XDB-DB2 Workbench product from XDB Systems - the leading DB2 emulation/connectivity vendor, and it provides a truly integrated environment for GCOS8, similar to what Micro Focus offer to an IBM DB2 Mainframe customer. Since INTEREL is not completely compatible with DB2, G8WB provides a solution where XDB-DB2 will behave like INTEREL. If you also use IBM DB2, then the same XDB-DB2 Workbench product may be used to support both GCOS8 and IBM. Again this approach will ensure G8WB customers will have a mature and up-to-date product, fully supported by both B & C Solution, XDB, Micro Focus and BULL.

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