IBM COBOL
| Company type | Software product family |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software, Programming languages |
| Founder | IBM |
| Headquarters | Armonk , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Enterprise COBOL for z/OS, COBOL for AIX, COBOL for Linux on x86, Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS (ABO), COBOL for OS/390 & VM, COBOL for VSE/ESA, Development Studio for i |
| Owner | IBM |
| Website | www |
IBM has delivered the COBOL programming language on a variety of platforms, beginning with the IBM 1400 series and IBM 7000 series. This support progressed through the pioneering IBM System/360 and IBM System/370 mainframes and extends to modern platforms such as IBM Power Systems (AIX), IBM Z (z/OS and z/VSE), and x86 (Linux).
At the height of COBOL's popularity between the 1960s and 1980s, IBM's COBOL compiler was recognized as the industry’s leading solution. Influential textbooks from that period, including Daniel D. McCracken's A Simplified Guide to Structured COBOL Programming and Stern and Stern's Structured COBOL Programming, predominantly covered IBM COBOL, underscoring its market dominance and comprehensive language enhancements.
The extensive use of IBM COBOL also encouraged the development of third-party utilities, such as Capex Corporation’s object code optimizer, which operated post-code generation to significantly improve the performance of compiled programs and gained commercial traction.
While the IBM COBOL Compiler Family website emphasizes availability for AIX, Linux, and z/OS, IBM continues to maintain COBOL compiler offerings for z/VM and z/VSE systems.
Products
The IBM COBOL compiler suite comprises the following major offerings:
- Enterprise COBOL for z/OS
- COBOL for AIX
- COBOL for Linux on x86
- Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS (ABO)
- COBOL for OS/390 & VM
- COBOL for VSE/ESA
- Development Studio for i
IBM COBOL compiler versions, product numbers, and support dates
| Compiler | Release level | Product number | General availability (GA) date
(Year-Month-Day) |
End of support (EOS) date
(Year-Month-Day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS/VS COBOL | Version 1 Release 2 Modification 3 | 5740-CB1 | 1974-09-23 | 1999-12-31 |
| VS COBOL II | Version 1 Release 4 | 5668-958 | 1993-03-12 | 2001-03-31 |
| COBOL for OS/390 & VM | Version 2 Release 2 | 5648-A25 | 2000-09-29 | 2004-12-31 |
| Enterprise COBOL for z/OS | Version 3 Release 4 | 5655-G53 | 2005-07-01 | 2015-04-30 |
| Enterprise COBOL for z/OS | Version 4 Release 2 | 5655-S71 | 2009-08-28 | 2022-04-30 |
| Enterprise COBOL for z/OS | Version 5 Release 2 | 5655-W32 | 2015-02-27 | 2020-04-30 |
| Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS1 | Version 6 Release 2 | 5697-V61 | 2017-09-08 | 2024-09-30 |
| Enterprise COBOL for z/OS | Version 6 Release 4 | 5655-EC6 | 2022-05-27 | Not announced yet |
| COBOL for Linux on x86 | Version 1 Release 2 | 5737-L11 | 2023-06-09 | Not announced yet |
Note:
- The Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS is functionally equivalent to Enterprise COBOL for z/OS but is marketed under a distinct product number and pricing structure.
For current support status and announcements regarding Enterprise COBOL for z/OS, consult IBM's lifecycle information page.
External links
IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS:
IBM COBOL for AIX:
IBM COBOL for Linux on x86:
IBM COBOL Compilers Support: