Customer Reviews

Murach's Mainframe COBOL

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As a longtime mainframe programmer I have used Murach books for the times when I need a quick reminder of what COBOL statement to use and how to use it. Mike Murach has recently published a new "Mainframe COBOL" book. The Murach books feature a paired page format that has statement syntax and notes on the right hand page and detailed descriptions on the left hand page. With this format the book is useful for both the "seasoned" programmer and the newbie just getting started in writing structured COBOL programs. A new COBOL programmer can get good detailed instruction on how a structured program is designed coded and tested, the veteran can quickly access information on statement syntax and usage.

This book differs from Murach's "Structured COBOL" offering in that it has no mention of Personal or PC COBOL platforms. Those references have been replaced by chapter (17.) describing mainframe architecture, input/output devices, basic mainframe operating system features and IBM mainframe OS' that are currently used. Another new chapter (19.) gives a brief basic introduction in (AMS) Access Method Services necessary for working with VSAM files.

All in all, this book should be a good starting point for the mainframe COBOL programmer looking for a solid reference for writing batch programs. Programmers needing instruction or reference for CICS and DB2 application development should read the (also brief and basic) chapters on those subjects and then seriously consider investing in Murach's "CICS for the COBOL Programmer" and excellent "CICS Desk Reference" along with their two DB2 manuals. They also have a solid VSAM manual.

I needed to quickly get back up to speed to support a legacy system and found this title the solution to getting there. I'd worked with COBOL before, but that was quite some time ago. Thank goodness there is somebody keeping this knowledge alive and current.

The collaboration of COBOL experts Mike Murach, Anne Prince, and Raul Menendez, Murach's Mainframe COBOL is a tutorial, guide, and reference especially for anyone charged with developing or maintaining COBOL programs. Explicit examples and sample code spell out COBOL syntax in the clearest possible terms, and much of Murach's Mainframe COBOL is divided into individual sections that teach the reader how to complete any given specific task, such as "how to code select statements and FD statements" or "how to join data from two or more tables". An easy-to-follow guide for anyone learning the ins and outs of COBOL.

This book is written in an easy to read and understand format. A good refresher for anyone that needs it and will serve as a good future reference book. Very good simple examples.

I love this book it is a great introduction to COBOL the IBM mainframe environment. I mainly work in C on Linux and Windows computers, but I love COBOL also though I am still learning COBOL I can see it has many benifits particularly for use in mainframe systems.

This is the only book on COBOL I have owned and I bet it is the best.

I have wanted to purchase this book for years but kept putting it off. After being laid off from my job of 14 years, I found myself in a very difficult and fiercely competitive job market. This COBOL book gives you everything you need to get ahead in your job search.

This is a very good piece of work.

The book is good for those who have already a deep background in programming but are completely new to COBOL (like me), as well as for those who are completely new to programming in general.

It is organized by task in a series of "How to ..." short sections, which provide the reader with complete information about specific topics in the matter of COBOL programming. If you like reading (like me) and not just jumping back and forth from one section to the other, this book provides a clear, well-written, consistent and enjoyable reading. If you have no time for reading the book from the beginning to the end, you can easily find the chapter you need to read, becase as I said before the "How to ..." organization effectively drives you to the things you need. However, I would anyway suggest to read the entire book because it gives a very good path for learning COBOL in a structured way.

The book provides insights about programming on IBM z/OS systems, but also gives some information about COBOL programming with regards to other platforms. However, information about COBOL on non-mainframe platforms is often provided with focus on the differences with the IBM mainframe, so this is not the best choice if you're looking for COBOL programming on .NET or other (but ... is there anyone who writes in COBOL out of a mainframe shop ?).

Last but not least, there are tons of good examples in this book. For an experienced Java programmer like me, it is quite easy to understand that these examples come from an experienced COBOL programmer, because it is made clear that only an experienced COBOL programmer can get this very "clean" code out of an "ancient" language that has only global variables, poor or no support for data types (don't tell me that PICs are data types, please) and no object orientation (yes, I know that there is also an object oriented version of COBOL ... but again, is anyone using it ?).

This reading is being for me the same as it was Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in Java" ten years ago ...

This was my textbook for my COBOL I class. My goal was to learn as little about COBOL as possible. This book allowed me to get an A the class without very much reading at all. I am sure this is a great book if you want to learn COBOL. I do not know why very many people now would want to learn such an awful language like COBOL when there are much better languages out there. If you want to learn COBOL for some reason or you want to pass a class on COBOL without much reading/studying, this is the book for you. Keep programming! (not in COBOL)