
Cobol Reference Manuals From The
COBOL is primarily used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments.Comparative readability of COBOL language manuals from the top five mainframe vendors is analyzed. It is an imperative, procedural and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL ( / kobl, - bl / an acronym for 'common business-oriented language') is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use.

Data items are either 'elementary data items' or 'record description entries.' Elementary items An elementary data item is a variable. Declarations occur in the DATA DIVISION. Variable declaration Variables must be declared in a COBOL program prior to their use. No significant differences were found between the two “user” and the five “reference” manuals.COBOL supports variables which are either alphabetic, numeric, or alphanumeric. The COBOL manual from Sperry/Univac was found to have a significantly lower readability index than those of Burroughs and the CDC User manual. Note: Software installation instructions are located in a separate GettingIBM Mainframe Reference Manuals Free Online Mainframe references, Study Materials, Books Reviews, Information, Quick references, technical guides, overviews, Language elements, database concepts, Interview questionsResults showed all manuals to be categorized as “difficult” reading characteristic of academie journals.
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