On Thu, 2005-06-23 at 09:16 -0400, Thomas Conley wrote:
> I bet you think that the BPX messages coming out of ISHELL are also
> self-documenting.
Aw, c'mon Tom. There are some excellent decafs -- you should try one.
The COBOL messages *are* (for the most) self-documenting. I can't
offhand think of an instance when I couldn't figure out what one meant.
If your programmers don't understand COBOL compiler messages then maybe
they *should* consider another line of work -- or at least some remedial
training.
It is reasonable for the compiler developers to assume some level of
competence on the user's part; COBOL isn't a 4GL after all. And it
would be IMO a waste of time to have a tech writer produce something
like:
IGYOP3091-W Code from <source code 1> to <source code 2>
can never be executed and was therefore discarded
Explanation: The compiler detected that some of the program
code could never be branched to. Rather than
produce object code that would only take up space
and never be executed, the compiler skipped the
unexecutable program source code.
In the message, <source code 1> is the first of
the source code that has been skipped, and <source
code 2> marks the end of code that was skipped.
Programmer response: Examine the program listing and determine
whether the code is intended to be executed.
Source programs are line-numbered in the program
listing, and the compiler error message includes
the source program line number near which
<source code 1> can be found.
Above notwithstanding, I recognize that it is MUCH easier to get a RCF
accepted than an APAR, and if you *do* find a particular compiler error
message wanting then you're tied to the maintenance QA process. So
maybe what IBM needs is an error message server, accessible from all
products, with a database that is easily updated. Changes to the
database wouldn't require regression testing, and would have faster
turnaround than you'd get from the standard publication schedule.
Just thinking out loud. There are OA issues and other stuff to worry
about, too.
--
David Andrews
A. Duda and Sons, Inc.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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