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RM/COBOL runtime distribution

  • May 5, 2018
  • 6 replies
  • 0 views
D

Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

           I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jack Stockman

    6 replies

    Thomas Morrison
    • Thomas Morrison
    • Participating Frequently
    • May 6, 2018

    Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

               I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Jack Stockman

    The RM/COBOL runtime is a licensed product. You should contact Micro Focus sales to determine what licensing option best fits your requirements.
    Tom Morrison, Consultant, South Carolina, USA
    D

    Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

               I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Jack Stockman

    No, you may not.
    D

    Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

               I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Jack Stockman

    No, the runtime is a licensed product and must be purchased through sales for each use of the application that you distribute. Even other COBOL systems that produce an executable require a runtime system that implements COBOL functionality not provided by the OS (Windows or UNIX), such as indexed organization files.
    D

    Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

               I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Jack Stockman

    I understand that RM/COBOL is a licensed product, but what doesn't make sense to me is that it would cost extra to distribute the runtime to clients. Usually runtimes are distributed freely, like the Java runtime. The runtime is pretty much useless without the installed programs that needs it. That doesn't make any sense to have to pay for distributing the necessary runtime in addition to already buying the compiler and development tools. I find that quite different from other software compilers that I've used before.
    D

    Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

               I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Jack Stockman

    I don't know what to tell you. Selling runtimes is how we make our money. I invite you to read the End User Licensing Agreement. It is spelled out pretty completely there.

    The truth of the matter is that you can distribute the .COB to anyone you wish. Its contents are your intellectual property, but there's a lot of technology that is needed to make a COBOL program run seamlessly on all the platforms that we support. Your COBOL program will not need to be recompiled to run on Windows, or Linux, or AIX. The runtime interpreter takes care of all of that. That is our intellectual property, and we'd like to be rewarded for it.

    So, this is the business model that we've been using for, well, longer than Java's been around. And, despite the fact that Sun was giving Java away, Oracle is taking a different tack, so even the Java business model is been changing.

    Micro Focus has a bunch of legal types who'd just love to explain this. And, if they discover that you've been giving away the runtimes, they'll be glad to send you a bill for the runtimes too.
    D

    Attention Micro Focus Representatives,

               I'd like to know if I could freely distribute the RM/COBOL runtime for applications that I develop for people to use, since RM/COBOL doesn't have a method for building .EXE (executable) files and the runtime is required for the programs to run.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Jack Stockman

    How can I purchase from India, RMCOBOL-85 Compiler and runtime for 64 bit Windows ?

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