We have recently announced the following 3 new compiler products on System z:

Enterprise COBOL for z/OS v4.2 (GA: Aug. 28, 2009)http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/cobol

Product Highlights:

• Improved support for processing of XML documents
  • Enable validation of XML document against a schema while it processed by the COBOL application
  • Support offloading of XML parsing to zAAP specialty processors
  • Provide significant performance improvement when using z/OS XML System Services parser
• Improved usability
  • Underscore now supported in user-defined words and program name literals
  • New option to allow customization of severity for Compiler messages
• Improved support for middleware and tools
  • Support CICS v4.1
  • Added capability to show CICS options in listings
• Support more Java versions to enable integration of COBOL applications with Web applications
  • Added support for Java 5 and Java 6

Product Highlights:

• Improved Performance
  • Improved overall SPECint2006 performance by 8.7%
  • Improved memory optimization features and inline C++ destructor
• Provide system programming capabilities
  • METAL C Compiler option
• Support latest Middleware and tools
  • Improved readability of listings (qskipsrc)
  • Support debugging on production systems where original source is not available
  • Produce pseudo-C listing to aid debugging of optimized code (-qreport)

• Provide more exploitation of recent hardware
  • Inline conversions amongst UTF-8, UTF-16 and UTF-32
  • Improved support for internationalization
  • Improved null pointer usage with compare-and-trap instruction
• Improved I/O capability
  • Support of LRECL=X for QSAM files with records > 32K
  • Support of dynamic file allocation
• Improved support for latest Middleware and tools
  • Added Block scoping to the integrated SQL and CICS preprocessors
  • Enhanced IPCS support for easier and faster problem resolution
• Addressed many user requirements, including
  • Improved performance in array and bit assignments
  • Enabled feature to allow easy compiling out of code with comments
  • Provided more RULES suboptions to enforce coding standards
  • Added compiler message to identify expensive statements to help tune application performance
  • Added compiler messages to flag poor and/or dangerous code to improve maintainability
  • Support for additional common European date formats

For more information on our new products, please visit the Enterprise modernization for System z solution webpage: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/rational/solutions/em/systems/z/

If you were unable to join us at webcast titled " Compilation technology optimizes investment on System z", the replay is now available at: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/os/systemz/telecon/nov11/

A podcast on these new compilers is also available on the on the Rational Talks to You page. Look for #79.