I think getting rid of BDB is a great idea.
It would make OpenCOBOL more commercially viable to implement this interface:
Microfocus allows their users to replace their file handler by implementing to that specification.
Fujitsu and COBOL-IT implemented the same interface for the compilers they sell.
My implementing that interface, it would make it easier for people to port from those compilers to OpenCOBOL.
I have implemented a couple of file handlers that "plug in" to microfocus. Their system works well.
Note: I am giving credit to microfocus for inventing this interface, but I have the feeling it was invented somewhere else.
The implementation would go something like this:
1) Implement EXTFH interface in OpenCOBOL.
2) Implement EXTFH wrapping BDB.
as this point existing user could continue to use the BDB data, but have the flexibility to add new EXTFH that access data in other backends.
I had one of my programmers replace BDB in OpenCOBOL so I could be compatible with MicroFocus as part of my OpenKicks framework. It would make a good starting point for this effort. We basically wrote a library with same interface as BDB and linked it into OpenCOBOL. Don't get your hopes up that it will be very useful for this effort.