I think you're confusing the DBCS value of the NSYMBOL option with the DBCS option.
Don Imbriale >-----Original Message----- >From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf >Of Steve Comstock >Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 2:36 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: DBCS as the "default" (was: Fw: Another OS/390 to z/OS 1.4 >migration question (COBOL) > >Bill Klein wrote: >> "Steve Comstock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message >> news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>... >> <snip> >> >>>And I can't figure out why they made that change, >>>since DBCS is, supposedly, on its eventual way >>>out, to be replaced by NATIONAL (Unicode). Any >>>idea why the default was changed? Especially since >>>the vast majority of US shops do not even use >>>DBCS data? >>> >> >> >> NSYMBOL(National) *requires* (forces on) DBCS, so actually having/allowing >> the DBCS option is a "pre-requisite" for having Unicode support. > >Ah. Now that is just flat out wrong. The doc says it is >NSYMBOL({NATIONAL|DBCS}) - that is, one or the other. > >Ahh, but wait. Same doc under "Conflicting Compiler Options", >it says NSYMBOL(NATIONAL) forces on the DBCS compiler option. >Now I'm really confused. Why would you set up a choice of >NSYMBOL({NATIONAL|DBCS}) when setting NATIONAL forces on DBCS? > >Very nice. > >> >> There are some long and "painful" internal discussions (between myself and >> the IBM ANSI COBOL rep) and within the J4 group about exactly what is >> "Standard conforming" behavior when you have "control characters" within an >> alphanumeric literal. I won't go into them here, but I semi-understand the >> IBM position that ALLOWING "national" character strings within an >> alphanumeric literal is a "good thing" when you MAY use X"0E" type notation >> *if* you want to have those x'0d' and x'0e' within literals. >> >> The change in defaults WAS highlighted in announcements, migration guides, >> and installation material - but what its IMPLICATIONS were - are probably >> unclear to most programmers (application or systems). > >Yup. *********************************************************************** Bear Stearns is not responsible for any recommendation, solicitation, offer or agreement or any information about any transaction, customer account or account activity contained in this communication. *********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
