Skip to main content

I’m a retired IT professional and am interesting is experiencing some of the fun I had in the late 70’s and early 80’ writing and maintaining COBOL applications. Back then my programming was done on a mainframe but since I don’t have access to one of those, I’d like to use my Windows desktop. I’ve used Visual Basic, Borland Pascal, and recently Delphi to write event-driven Windows applications so I am somewhat familiar with writing Windows applications. I have done virtually nothing Object Oriented and I am disinclined to learn it.

 I recently purchased Micro Focus’ Visual COBOL Developers Guide to Modern COBOL and installed the personal/community versions of Visual Studio and Visual COBOL and was immediately taken aback. It appears that in the last 40 years COBOL and transformed into a fully OO language. Can you use Visual Studio and Visual COBOL to write non-OO, structured, event driven, Windows applications? I am open to using an older version of Micros Focus COBOL in a Windows 7 or XP VM if I can find or purchase (at a hobbyist cost) an older version of COBOL.

 The applications I have in mind (e.g., home inventory) are for my personal use and not commercial.

 Thanks in advance for suggestions and guidance.

I’m a retired IT professional and am interesting is experiencing some of the fun I had in the late 70’s and early 80’ writing and maintaining COBOL applications. Back then my programming was done on a mainframe but since I don’t have access to one of those, I’d like to use my Windows desktop. I’ve used Visual Basic, Borland Pascal, and recently Delphi to write event-driven Windows applications so I am somewhat familiar with writing Windows applications. I have done virtually nothing Object Oriented and I am disinclined to learn it.

 I recently purchased Micro Focus’ Visual COBOL Developers Guide to Modern COBOL and installed the personal/community versions of Visual Studio and Visual COBOL and was immediately taken aback. It appears that in the last 40 years COBOL and transformed into a fully OO language. Can you use Visual Studio and Visual COBOL to write non-OO, structured, event driven, Windows applications? I am open to using an older version of Micros Focus COBOL in a Windows 7 or XP VM if I can find or purchase (at a hobbyist cost) an older version of COBOL.

 The applications I have in mind (e.g., home inventory) are for my personal use and not commercial.

 Thanks in advance for suggestions and guidance.

Yes, it is perfectly possible to write 'standard' COBOL - choose a New Project -> Console Application or a Windows Application (Native). The 'strange' COBOL you see in the VC book is a marriage of COBOL with the .NET Framework and OO styles.

Yes, it is perfectly possible to write 'standard' COBOL - choose a New Project -> Console Application or a Windows Application (Native). The 'strange' COBOL you see in the VC book is a marriage of COBOL with the .NET Framework and OO styles.

Thank you. I will try that later on today.

Yes, it is perfectly possible to write 'standard' COBOL - choose a New Project -> Console Application or a Windows Application (Native). The 'strange' COBOL you see in the VC book is a marriage of COBOL with the .NET Framework and OO styles.

Can Windows Application (Native) programs have a GUI with dialog boxes and all the common controls?

Can Windows Application (Native) programs have a GUI with dialog boxes and all the common controls?

Try New Project -> Dialog System Application (modern). It has tags COBOL, Windows, Native.

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement