Customer Reviews

COBOL for Dummies

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you never had any experience with COBOL, this book is the place to start. Although it doesn't give many full programs for you to see, it does help you understand the way the language works. As I said, this is a great book to start learning COBOL, and you can then go on to the other books to get deeper into the language. The only problem I encountered was the Fujitsu compiler is an expired version. I've been using COBOL since 1982 and this book is on my shelf.

This book is well worth buying for those needing an introduction to COBOL. If you are getting it to get the Fujitsu compiler, be aware that it is the previous version and that it is available for free download from the Fujitsu web site.

As a former programmer in COBOL (along with other languages), and a physician writing his own patient information tracking software, I decided to return to COBOL for it's simple, yet powerful file handling capabilities. Not wanting to spend several hundreds or thousands of dollars for a compiler (or - gasp! - an interpreter), I performed a quick search of the Web and found a reference to "COBOL For DUMMIES". Had it not been for the enclosed CD, I probably would have passed this book by without giving it a second thought. However, having read the book and worked with the CD, I am convinced that this is absolutely the best programming deal around. The coverage of COBOL is not intensive enough for someone who wants to make the language dance and sing, but it's complete enough (and covers the history and arcane aspects of the language well) for the programmer who has forgotten how elegant COBOL can be, especially after working with numerous other languages.

from the first page i read, i thought "this is my salvation" i can actually understand what i'm reading and it makes a lot of sense!

As a dummy, I make lots of typos and syntax errors. This makes Fujitsu compiler spout more syntax errors than the program has lines. Given the tremendous sensitivity (for beginner's programs)the compiler has toward errors, the examples should have been compiler specific. I'm still working through the book, but 90% of the programming time has been spent tracking down compiler related issues.

I picked up this book before I started my mainframe training and it was nice to have as a reference. If you have never programmed in COBOL before then this book is for you.

I have passed this book off to a fellow co-worker who is interested in learning COBOL.

This book only gives you the very basics and that is it. But I would suggest that you read this book before trying to tackle a more involved book. Also, I don't think that this book will help you code very well, but it is good for definitions and simple explanations.

We used this as a textbook for an Introduction to COBOL course during Fall Semester (August - December)1998. We sadly discovered that the Fujitsu compiler expired on October 31, 1998. Trick or treat? We use a different text this year... one that includes software that won't expire during the semester.

This book shows you the basic knowledge of Cobol language.
It explains quite well the different language features.
In addition, throughout the pages of this book, some icons are used to flag important information.

You not only have to be a dummie... It is actually a very terse treatment of the subject. This has the effect of confusing the newcomer to no end, as it forces the person into an advanced mode, rather than a beginner mode. Don't waste your money on this book.

I must disagree with the overwhelming reviews of this book given by other readers. As a complete novice in the area of computer programming, and after plugging away painfully through the first half of the book before anything started to become comprehensible, I came to one conclusion: either this book on COBOL is not really for "dummies" or I am too much of a "dummy" to even get through "COBOL For Dummies". After reading several other books on other computer languages, I now realize that the former is true. This book is not the place to start.