3

Right. I'm currently in a class that is exploring many different programming languages. Among them are COBOL and Ada, both of which I can't seem to find a free compiler. Has anyone had better luck and if so, where might I find them? Thanks!

Improve this question
4
  • The mentioned gnat is by the way available via MacPorts. For the future please do ask separate questions instead of mixing them together - as you'll notice you got answers for both sub-questions and will probably have a hard time deciding which to accept. Commented Aug 26, 2010 at 11:56
  • You're right, except in this case the OpenCOBOL thing didn't really work out anyway. I will keep that in mind in the future. Thanks for the input! Commented Aug 26, 2010 at 17:24
  • @Georg Fritzsche: For reference, Ada is self-hosted; the MacPorts build requires an existing Ada compiler. trac.macports.org/browser/trunk/dports/lang/gnat-gcc/Portfile Commented Aug 26, 2010 at 18:14
  • Indeed I still fighting to get Ada to work with the SnwowLeopard. There is allways something. For now i suggest to use GNAT GPL Edition. But once I get it to work there will be a binary downlaod on sourceforge as well. Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 8:48

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
6

You want the GNAT GPL Edition.

Improve this answer
Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

I haven't been able to set it up the way I wanted, but it will work for now. Thank you for the link!
This will get you Ada but not COBOL.
@NealB: Quite right; fortunately, others more familiar with COBOL responded.
4

There is much available for Ada at http://libre.adacore.com/libre/, including Eclipse plugins and IDEs. Free downloads are available for students.

Improve this answer

2 Comments

Free (libre and beer) downloads are available for anyone! AdaCore have an academic program (GAP), adacore.com/home/academia/gap, which includes support too.
You can also build your own copies from sources if you like, as it is a full-fledged part of GCC. However, I think doing so gives your program the GPL infection.
4

The OpenCOBOL compiler is free. As far as I know there are versions for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X - http://www.opencobol.org

Edit : A possible option might be Veryant isCOBOL http://www.veryant.com. Veryant are due to release a student version (i.e. restricted) of their compiler. Veryant's isCOBOL compiler compiles to a Java run-time and as such may run on OS X.

Their faq http://www.veryant.com/products/faq.php?type=all states that "Being Java-based, the isCOBOL Compiler runs on any platform that supports a Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.4.2 or greater. The isCOBOL Debugger and isCOBOL compiled code can run on any platform that supports a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) of 1.4.2 or later. Thus, isCOBOL APS supports a wealth of platforms including AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris and Windows. The only exception to this is isCOBOL ISAM ODBC, which currently runs only on Windows."

Improve this answer

2 Comments

I checked their site, and they claim it has been built on OSX, but there is no prebuilt available for it. That means Grimless would have to build it from sources him/herself. How easy that is depends on the makefiles, but generally such a task is not for beginners or the faint of heart.
As ugly a prospect as this is, I am not sure there are any better options (at least for a free compiler).
3

gcc's Ada compiler, gnat, does not come with Xcode so you will need to find it elsewhere or build it from source. Free COBOL compilers are a bit harder to find.

Improve this answer

2 Comments

Hmm, thanks, but that doesn't really give me useful information. I will keep searching, thanks!
How did this answer get a +2? - There are far more usefull answers here like the one from trashgod!

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.