[open-cobol-list] IMPORTANT Documentation meeting This Sunday, 9:00 AM Eastern time

[Domain Admin]

As many of you know, there has been a LOT of activity with Open Cobol
and with the Add 1 to Cobol project. VERY soon the next version is to
be released. Many new libraries are being created, which allow us to
interface OC to other languages and tools. Among these we've got,
perl, php, SQLite, MySQL, GTK+ and many MANY others in the works and
proof of concepts created.

The planning stages are underway at Add 1 To COBOL for a very simple
OC based CMS. We're calling it "add BARELY enough CMS to COBOL."
ABECMS will be basically be a template based wrapper around ISAM based
data. It will eventually form the groundwork for expanding to the more
full "Add CMS to COBOL" application.

This hearkens to be a robust, cobol based CMS. It will be modular CMS
with many prefabbed modules including some for connecting to other
APIs, like Amazon, Facebook, Google Maps and so on. Additionally it
will have its own API to allow others to connect to your website. It
will be data centric, which means that you will be able to easily
create CRUD modules (ISAM and SQL based) by defining simple layouts.
How will it do this?

Well we're putting into motion the very early discussions of a
template based Code Generator. This will allow you to get skeletons of
your code out rapidly. We say template based and your code, VERY
DELIBERATELY here, because the code that is generated will not be hard
coded into the binary. Rather, this Add1 application will read your
templates and then generate code based on the coding style YOU already
enjoy. You will also be able to make use of other's templates if you
wish.

Besides this Mr. Brian Tiffin's FAQ has grown immensely. Have you read
it lately? It can be found on the add1tocobol project's website at
http://opencobol.add1tocobol.com This is really no longer an FAQ. I
want to move it to the status of an Open Cobol Handbook. Once it is
complete I want to get it up on LULU.COM so that we can all have
printed copies. This will make our work much easier. In fact,
completing this handbook is ESSENTIAL to moving these projects
forward.  By having a complete, single source that we can go to, for
OC settings, and specifics, and also a howto of the COBOL Language,
we'll all be able to become more productive and efficient.

As it stands, this handbook will not be a guide for the extension
developer. Those that wish to write C modules (and others) to connect
the language, or library of their choice to Open Cobol, will have to
wait just a little bit longer. Once we have the handbook completed,
then documentation of this sort can move foward.

So it is with the intent of moving these things along that this
Sunday's meeting, at 9am eastern USA will focus on assisting Mr. Brian
with bringing the hand book to completion (if he is so inclined to
recognize the high quality of his own work and relabel the FAQ as the
OC Handbook).

The importance of this meeting, and next Sunday's meeting CANNOT BE
OVER STRESSED. These are going to be our most important meetings to
date. If you have missed out on our meetings in the past, now is
definitely a time to get involved. In the least you can learn what we
are doing and benefit from that alone.

I have 2 specific goals for the handbook, but I expect responses to
this email and forum post, and conversations Friday and Saturday will
expand on this.

First, I wish to step by step, include documentation on every reserved
word listed in the current handbook. Of course the more important ones
are the ones that OC supports. However, if we can detail the others,
with examples, then when OC does support these, we are set to go.

Second, I wish to detail in the handbook OC coding conventions. Some
of these are mere suggestions. If you have a suggestion for the
handbook, now is the time to bring it forward. In other cases though,
there are requirements. That is, if there is any likelihood that your
code could be folded back into the compiler as a library, then Mr.
Roger has specific coding conventions that he needs you to follow. Of
course an accounting app would not fit the bill. But a group of
accounting functions, amortization and so forth, just might. (These
are only examples). In each case we want these to be in the handbook,
to provide a good starting point for new folks, and old crusties like
me.

If you have any other DOCUMENTATION related wishes for the agenda for
these next two sundays your choices are to email, add to the forum, or
join us in chat any time (we are in there 24/7, and if we don't
respond, we eventually will). The details are in my signature. I look
forward to meeting some new, and seeing some old folks again then.

Many Kind Regards,

-- 
Joseph James Frantz
(Aoirthoir)

http://www.add1tocobol.com
Regular add1tocobol meetings:
Where: FREENODE IRC
Channel: #add1tocobol
Access from the web: http://www.add1tocobol.com/chat.php
Date: Sundays
Time: 9:00am Eastern

::::::::NOTE IMPORTANT::::::::::
There has been some confusion as to the time. I believe this is
because the United States uses Daylight Savings Time. On top of this
the Government recently extended the dates that EDT (eastern daylight
time) would run. So to be sure that you make it at 9am Eastern, I have
this link:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=179

That shows the time in New York City at the moment of viewing. It also
explains the current UTC offset for the Eastern Zone in the United
States. Simply compare the current time that site states, with your
current time and you will know how far off we are from you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

We're there all of the time, even when we do not have a meeting. Stop
on by for Open Cobol Support and chat.