From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from simark.ca by simark.ca with LMTP id jsb4NndmpmhvSggAWB0awg (envelope-from ) for ; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 20:21:11 -0400 Received: by simark.ca (Postfix, from userid 112) id CE4F71E0B3; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 20:21:11 -0400 (EDT) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 4.0.1 (2024-03-25) on simark.ca X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.7 required=5.0 tests=ARC_SIGNED,ARC_VALID,BAYES_00, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_LOW, RCVD_IN_VALIDITY_CERTIFIED_BLOCKED,RCVD_IN_VALIDITY_RPBL_BLOCKED, RCVD_IN_VALIDITY_SAFE_BLOCKED autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=4.0.1 Received: from server2.sourceware.org (server2.sourceware.org [8.43.85.97]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange x25519 server-signature ECDSA (prime256v1) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) by simark.ca (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 2CABD1E048 for ; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 20:21:10 -0400 (EDT) Received: from server2.sourceware.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by sourceware.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 549BF385802C for ; Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:21:09 +0000 (GMT) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 sourceware.org 549BF385802C Received: from zmcc-2-mx.zmailcloud.com (zmcc-2-mx.zmailcloud.com [52.37.197.7]) by sourceware.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id D8C10385843D for ; Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:17:37 +0000 (GMT) DMARC-Filter: OpenDMARC Filter v1.4.2 sourceware.org D8C10385843D Authentication-Results: sourceware.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=symas.com Authentication-Results: sourceware.org; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=symas.com ARC-Filter: OpenARC Filter v1.0.0 sourceware.org D8C10385843D Authentication-Results: server2.sourceware.org; arc=none smtp.remote-ip=52.37.197.7 ARC-Seal: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=sourceware.org; s=key; t=1755735458; cv=none; b=hFPfc0acsT6s6Apj/RrFboRPhd0LPnzjA22hLlwHxj4EnivD5qvt9L0f7mqkuXfwQctxH7REn0pyoyCh8XCByvrXyivw5Exbe1ul+Nygo2KCot1PtK3Xf6VyNB/J9c9LqqQieeMhbTsOskVZBuVM07jP7t7UD9PxB5jAqnRkQRo= ARC-Message-Signature: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=sourceware.org; s=key; t=1755735458; c=relaxed/simple; bh=Z+n2tCZNUcCnf/llMffMALpHOtxec/d8LN8+macIGP8=; h=From:To:Subject:Date:Message-ID:MIME-Version; b=Axmnq01+m7vljuL4g3v3OZQ3OAgzc/HKlpOB8/8nZS4hKqHXy5wlDB2pFsGl8Ju9IELh9bmjff3PAACn3GT48DQCCx7X0yu2R2j/58adV9i4z+0U+DpcJw25QprvJS+jO+GYPeQNZYAlfLwkzQMn3+N43bLIJZJ8mi1fTs9wH2I= ARC-Authentication-Results: i=1; server2.sourceware.org DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 sourceware.org D8C10385843D Received: from zmcc-3.zmailcloud.com (ec2-3-15-255-223.us-east-2.compute.amazonaws.com [3.15.255.223]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature RSA-PSS (2048 bits) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) by zmcc-2-mx.zmailcloud.com (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 0656BC71DC3; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:17:37 -0500 (CDT) Received: from zmcc-3.zmailcloud.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by zmcc-3-mta-1.zmailcloud.com (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 61B9CA00E33B; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:17:36 -0500 (CDT) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by zmcc-3-mta-1.zmailcloud.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2C7A1A00ECF9; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:17:36 -0500 (CDT) Received: from zmcc-3.zmailcloud.com ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (zmcc-3-mta-1.zmailcloud.com [127.0.0.1]) (amavis, port 10026) with ESMTP id CWazgwMxJw7M; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:17:36 -0500 (CDT) Received: from zmcc-3-mailbox-1.zmailcloud.com (zmcc-3-mailbox-1.zmailcloud.com [172.31.18.168]) by zmcc-3-mta-1.zmailcloud.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 42931A00E33B; Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:17:34 -0500 (CDT) From: Robert Dubner To: Cc: "mheyman" , Subject: COBOL support in GDB Thread-Topic: COBOL support in GDB Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:17:34 -0500 (CDT) Message-ID: <055c01dc1230$fe0c2050$fa2460f0$@symas.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 16.0 X-Mailer: Zimbra 9.0.0_GA_4769 (Zimbra-ZCO/9.0.0.1942 (10.0.26100 en-US) P2b7c T171c R3060) Content-Language: en-us Thread-Index: AdwSH9U4Y1V6nDbuRoK8cDnVy3fBYg== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.30 X-BeenThere: gdb@sourceware.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.30 Precedence: list List-Id: Gdb mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: gdb-bounces~public-inbox=simark.ca@sourceware.org Sender: "Gdb" My name is Bob Dubner. I live in upstate New York, in the United States. I work for the Symas Corporation, which has an interest in COBOL-based systems. For the last several years I have been working along with my colleagues Marty Herman and Jim Lowden to develop a COBOL front end for the GCC compiler collection. That front end, with much gratefully received assistance and support from the GCC community during the incorporation phase, was released back in March as part of GCC-15.1. So, with GCC now able to compile COBOL, a natural next step is the capability of debugging COBOL code. About three years ago, we forked binutils-gdb on https://gitlab.cobolworx.com/COBOLworx/gdb-cobol. That's where I have been developing support in GDB for the COBOL language as implemented in GCC's COBOL front end. I regularly merge the master branch of git://sourceware.org/git/binutils-gdb.git into our fork, most recently today. I have the COBOL-aware debugger actually working. Somebody who can navigate the multiple gates of 1) Access to an Ubuntu 22 or 24 system, 2) A willingness to download and install the leading-edge COBOL compiler from https://gitlab.cobolworx.com/COBOLworx/gcc-cobol/-/packages, 3) A matching willingness to download and install the leading-edge GDB-COBOL debugger from https://gitlab.cobolworx.com/COBOLworx/gdb-cobol/-/packages 4) Actually caring enough about COBOL to go through steps 1 through 3 can then use the resulting installed gcobol compiler to compile a COBOL program and then use gdb-cobol to debug it. My intent, so far, is that GDB users will not be surprised by what ordinary GDB commands do when debugging a COBOL program. I am writing here because it is my belief that we can at least start talking about incorporating my cobol_language work into GDB. It involves eight new files in the gdb directory, all named "cobol-". There are some changes to code elsewhere in the gdb subdirectory. I anticipate that there will be a fair amount of polite interaction about some of my changes that will, nonetheless, come from a place of "Why in the name of all that is holy did you do THAT??!!" The answers to those perfectly valid questions will be rooted in two places. First, COBOL is weird. Second, I didn't know any better. So, I need guidance on how to proceed. Perhaps I should come up with a patch that just installs the some of the cobol-xxx files, so that my work can be evaluated? I am sure there will be questions, and comments, and protests that I will have to address. Or what? Thank you very much for your consideration. Bob Dubner