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[homepage.git] / blog / archive / 2020 / 04 / index.html

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@@ -21,6 +21,63 @@
 
     <h3>Entries from April 2020.</h3>
     
+    <div class="entry">
+      <div class="title">
+        <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/GnuCOBOL__a_free_platform_to_learn_and_use_COBOL___nice_free_software.html">GnuCOBOL, a free platform to learn and use COBOL - nice free software</a>
+      </div>
+      <div class="date">
+        29th April 2020
+      </div>
+      <div class="body">
+        <p>The curiosity got the better of me when
+<a href="https://developers.slashdot.org/story/20/04/06/1424246/new-jersey-desperately-needs-cobol-programmers">Slashdot
+reported</a> that New Jersey was desperately looking for
+<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL">COBOL</a> programmers,
+and a few days later it was reported that
+<a href="https://onezero.medium.com/ibm-rallies-cobol-engineers-to-save-overloaded-unemployment-systems-eeadf13eddce">IBM
+tried to locate COBOL programmers</a>.</p>
+
+<p>I thus decided to have a look at free software alternatives to
+learn COBOL, and had the pleasure to find
+<a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/open-cobol/">GnuCOBOL</a> was
+already <a href="https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/gnucobol">in
+Debian</a>.  It used to be called Open Cobol, and is a "compiler"
+transforming COBOL code to C or C++ before giving it to GCC or Visual
+Studio to build binaries.</p>
+
+<p>I managed to get in touch with upstream, and was impressed with the
+quick response, and also was happy to see a new Debian maintainer
+taking over when the original one recently asked to be replaced.  A
+new Debian upload was done as recently as yesterday.</p>
+
+<p>Using the Debian package, I was able to follow a simple COBOL
+introduction and make and run simple COBOL programs.  It was fun to
+learn a new programming language.  If you want to test for yourself,
+<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GnuCOBOL">the GnuCOBOL Wikipedia
+page</a> have a few simple examples to get you startet.</p>
+
+<p>As I do not have much experience with COBOL, I do not know how
+standard compliant it is, but it claim to pass most tests from COBOL
+test suite, which sound good to me.  It is nice to know it is possible
+to learn COBOL using software without any usage restrictions, and I am
+very happy such nice free software project as this is available.  If
+you as me is curious about COBOL, check it out.</p>
+
+<p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
+activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
+<b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p>
+
+      </div>
+      <div class="tags">
+        
+        
+        Tags: <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian">debian</a>, <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/english">english</a>, <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/nice free software">nice free software</a>.
+        
+        
+      </div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="padding"></div>
+    
     <div class="entry">
       <div class="title">
         <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Totaloverv_kning_av_innbyggernes_bevegelser___nei_takk_.html">Totalovervåkning av innbyggernes bevegelser - nei takk!</a>
@@ -93,7 +150,7 @@ Merk, betaling med bitcoin er ikke anonymt. :)</p>
 
 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2020/03/">March (2)</a></li>
 
-<li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2020/04/">April (1)</a></li>
+<li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2020/04/">April (2)</a></li>
 
 </ul></li>
 
@@ -442,7 +499,7 @@ Merk, betaling med bitcoin er ikke anonymt. :)</p>
 
  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/chrpath">chrpath (2)</a></li>
 
- <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian">debian (168)</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian">debian (169)</a></li>
 
  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian edu">debian edu (158)</a></li>
 
@@ -456,7 +513,7 @@ Merk, betaling med bitcoin er ikke anonymt. :)</p>
 
  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/drivstoffpriser">drivstoffpriser (4)</a></li>
 
- <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/english">english (413)</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/english">english (414)</a></li>
 
  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/fiksgatami">fiksgatami (23)</a></li>
 
@@ -492,7 +549,7 @@ Merk, betaling med bitcoin er ikke anonymt. :)</p>
 
  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/multimedia">multimedia (42)</a></li>
 
- <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/nice free software">nice free software (12)</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/nice free software">nice free software (13)</a></li>
 
  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/noark5">noark5 (22)</a></li>