No comments about Structured Cobol Programming 8e TB.

No comments about Start-up! with RM/COBOL-85.

No comments about Programacion COBOL.

3 comments about Structured Ans Cobol, Part 2: Advanced Course Using 1974 or 1985 Ans Cobol (Structured ANS COBOL).

1. This book does a good job of explaining COBOL, but concentrates on a format best suited to those who don't know mainframes (introducing TSO, ISPF, dataset concepts, computer concepts, etc.). The complete set of COBOL commands is not taught. Instead, the author concentrates on the most often used commands and techniques. The author takes time out to mention obselete and/or "bad" commands (goto, alter, perform-thru, etc.), and stresses why avoiding them is good, and why using them is bad. I found that, as a beginning COBOL programmer, this approach of avoiding the entire command set to be quite useful. Because the author takes time out to explain most things, I was able to readily absorb the language. The main drawback is that in the last third of the book, some of the extensive explanations go away, and readers are left to figure out certain concepts on their own. The other drawback is more minor. This book is copyright 84 or 85 (I don't have it on my desk, it's out on loan to another programmer, who thinks it's good, too), and has a somewhat dated "air". In the end, I feel this book was worth the money I spent on it.



2. Working on my own, with no access to manuals, I'm able to find anything I need to modify or write COBOL programs. Suggest the reader buy Part 2 of this 2-book set, and also VS-COBOL-II. The latter isn't a complete COBOL manual, but lists the differences between COBOL and COBOL-II.



3. A few extras I forgot to note in my original review.

   One page 123, where the book starts to talk about 88 level data items (Condition Names), it's time to go find a different reference. Any other reference. This book botches the explanation. I had trouble with it, the friend I mentioned had trouble with it (and I did not warn him about it in advance). It's the only major problem with the book.

   This book has not been revised since initial publication, and contains no information on the 1989 Addendum to the COBOL Standard (which is mostly Intrinsic Functions), and no information looking at the upcoming release of the new COBOL Standard.

1 comments about Cobol: A Pragmatic Approach.

1. I first encountered this book in the fall of 1978 (that was 24 years ago) and I read the book from cover to cover and was very impressed by the way the authors demonstarted how COBOL programming was all about. At that time, there were many other COBOL books around but very few could teach COBOL in such a neat and precise way. Two years later, the concept of Structured Programming began popular and made this book sound out-of-date. But compared to other new books, this book was still outstanding in terms of learning how to do COBOL programming. Ten years later, OOP (Object Oriented Programming) further replaced Structured Programming as the mainstream of programming methodolody. But, again this book is still worthwhile reading for the purpose of grasping COBOL basic concepts after 24 years.

No comments about Vs Cobol II: A Guide for Programmers and Managers.

1 comments about Structured COBOL by Design: A First Course.

1. In this book we got lot of the suitable examples and usefull guidlines due to which i got the lot of things eaisly.

1 comments about Simplified COBOL.

1. I'd just like to say that this man knows what he's talking about, and knows how to teach it. He explains things in a way that is thorough easy to understand. I have taken two of his classes at DeVry, and would definately recommend his book.

No comments about Microfocus Cobol Compiler for DOS.

No comments about Software Design With Cobol and SQL (Computer Studies Ser.).