Micro Focus Plc is now shipping version 3.0 of its Cobol Workbench for facilitating development, debugging and testing of business applications for operating systems such as MVS, VM, DOS/VS(E), MS-DOS, OS/2, Microsoft Windows and all major Unix implementations. Enhancements to the Cobol, Toolset and Workbench provide for extended personal computer and mainframe development and include new tools to increase programmer productivity and program quality. A combined edit-check-animate function enables programmers to see a Cobol program as it interacts with other Cobol programs in an application, and an initial release graphical user interface. The company also launched Micro Focus AD/MVS, designed to facilitate development of host-based applications on a personal computer: it is claimed to bring a true MVS development environment under OS/2 and MS-DOS and to have the look and feel of TSO/ISPF, integrated with key components from the Cobol Workbench and features designed to support all the MVS functions performed by programmers – on the micro. There are also an IMS Production system; Host Compatibility Option for developing DB2-compatible SQL applications; and XDB Option for Cobol Workbench – XDB’s SQL database engine, a Cobol precompiler, and a subset of XDB’s DB2 Workbench utilities. There is also a version of Intersolv Inc’s PVCS Series for Configuration Management tightly integrated with Cobol Workbench. The company says it is committing to cross-system compatibility with the launch of Operating System Extensions, designed to enable Cobol programmers to develop applications that will run successfully under MS-DOS, Windows and OS/2: all the operating systems appear to an application to have the same facilities. Micro Focus says that all its Unix compiler technology was developed concurrently from the same base as its MS-DOS and OS/2 products to provide consistency and portability of applications. The first of the planned Unix products are due soon under Santa Cruz Operation Inc Unix and RS/6000 AIX. The firm also said it is now shipping Fileshare NLM, an application file server for multi-user applications running on a Novell Inc NetWare network. And the Newbury company is teaming with Creative Systems Interfaces Inc to develop a new line of communications software providing for remote procedure calls across machines. The initial product is designed for program-to-program linking between MVS/CICS, MVS/VTAM, OS/400, MS-DOS client only, Microsoft Windows, OS/2 and AIX. The company also said it will support Windows NT with a native 32-bit Cobol compiler that will fully support the the Windows NT Applications Programming Interface. As regards its relationship with IBM Corp, the company said that it is committed to supporting the IBM AIX Software Development Environment WorkBench/6000. IBM and Micro Focus have also agreed that IBM will duplicate, package, distribute and ship Micro Focus software products directly to its customers, which suggests that in contrast to most of IBM’s such pacts, the Micro Focus one is not likely to be terminated any time soon.
