X-Git-Url: http://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/2c26dc6650a8ec37b3c0d5fbba8992f82c5b63ab..e01d0e44df653f24935d091a2d5a509c0ee9e2db:/blog/archive/2020/04/04.rss diff --git a/blog/archive/2020/04/04.rss b/blog/archive/2020/04/04.rss index 334506aab6..193d0ca80d 100644 --- a/blog/archive/2020/04/04.rss +++ b/blog/archive/2020/04/04.rss @@ -3,13 +3,58 @@ Petter Reinholdtsen - Entries from April 2020 Entries from April 2020 - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + + GnuCOBOL, a free platform to learn and use COBOL - nice free software + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/GnuCOBOL__a_free_platform_to_learn_and_use_COBOL___nice_free_software.html + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/GnuCOBOL__a_free_platform_to_learn_and_use_COBOL___nice_free_software.html + Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:10:00 +0200 + <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> + + + Totalovervåkning av innbyggernes bevegelser - nei takk! - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Totaloverv_kning_av_innbyggernes_bevegelser___nei_takk_.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Totaloverv_kning_av_innbyggernes_bevegelser___nei_takk_.html + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Totaloverv_kning_av_innbyggernes_bevegelser___nei_takk_.html + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Totaloverv_kning_av_innbyggernes_bevegelser___nei_takk_.html Thu, 16 Apr 2020 20:30:00 +0200 <p>Jeg er blitt spurt hva jeg synes om lansering av smittestopp-appen, overvåkningsløsningen lansert av Folkehelseinstituttet, @@ -18,9 +63,9 @@ regjeringen om konsekvenser hvis befolkningen ikke tar den i bruk. Rekker ikke skrive noe fyldig om temaet, men det er klart for meg at den utraderer retten til privatliv samt utgjør en personlig sikkerhetsrisiko for alle som tar den i bruk. Bare det er nok til at -det fremstår som en svert dårlig ide å bli med på denne "dugnaden". +det fremstår som en svært dårlig ide å bli med på denne "dugnaden". Det finnes andre og bedre tilnærminger enn den valgt av FHI. Har de -valgt den for å sikre seg nok et datasett i den fremtidige +valgt sin tilnærming for å sikre seg nok et datasett i den fremtidige ehelse-portalen? Potensialet for misbruk av informasjon samlet inn av appen er for stort, effekten på neste krise for klar og gevinsten for liten.</p>