Project Description

COBOL the Barbarian is a multi-language .NET snippet compiler based on Jon Skeet's Snippy. The Barbarian compiles C# and VB, has a WPF user interface, and is written in COBOL. Support for additional .NET languages will be added in the near future. The possibility of compiling unmanaged code snippets is also being evaluated.

Intended Use

The Barbarian is a lightweight utility for anyone who wants to compile and test short blocks of code from multiple .NET languages. If doing this from COBOL makes you smile, you should consider competing against the Barbarian for the 2009 COBOL Evolution prize.

Runtime and Development Requirements

The Barbarian itself is lightweight, but to run it will require a few additional developer toys. Each requirement can be met with free but proprietary software:

  1. NET framework 3.5: Self-explanatory. What you may not realize is that you can step into the framework's source code when debugging COBOL.

  2. Micro Focus Net Express 5.1 Personal Edition: This free software is your source for the required Micro Focus COBOL runtime DLLs. It will also enable you to create your own managed COBOL projects in Visual Studio, and native COBOL programs in Net Express. Bear in mind that this free compiler is licensed for personal use only.

  3. Visual Studio 2008 or Visual Studio Shell: This is a prerequisite, without which Net Express will not install. Express editions of Visual Studio do not meet this requirement, but if necessary you can install the free Visual Studio Shell as follows:

    1. Download the integrated mode version of the shell here.

    2. Run the "installer". Note that all this does is extract the redistributable package.

    3. Navigate to the new folder, C:\VS 2008 Shell Redist\Integrated Mode, and run vside.enu.exe. This will install the Visual Studio Shell, along with some runtime components for applications developed with Visual C++.

Once you have either Visual Studio 2008 or the Visual Studio Shell installed, you can go ahead and install Net Express. It's worth your trouble.

History

COBOL the Barbarian is the successor to Add One Snippy, which was a straight port to COBOL of the C# code for Jon Skeet's Snippy. FxCop demanded a strong name for the assembly, and so the Gonzo COBOL Cooperative responded by unleashing COBOL the Barbarian.

Roadmap

The next big steps are to add support for compiling both native and managed C++ and COBOL. We may then consider adding support for the Mono project's gmcs and vbnc compilers for Windows. After that comes porting the Reflector add-in from C# to COBOL, and research concerning possible disassembly from MSIL to COBOL. Then it will be time at last to claim the Cloud for COBOL. Please see the Issue Tracker for work item details.

Development Tools

The development team uses the free Micro Focus NetExpress Personal Edition add-in for Visual Studio 2008.

Last edited 2009-02-22 at 12:55 AM by mfisher_ix, version 129