🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <49857@ut-emx.uucp> osmigo@ut-emx.uucp (Ron Morgan) writes:

   Some data processing departments (e.g., universities with massive databases)
   use a language called NATURAL, running on an IBM mainframe. It's supposed to
   be similar to COBOL (ugh). I cannot find out *anything* about this language.

I had a look at it once.  It was part of a (probably) public domain
database called ADABAS, written in COBOL.

The language itself was a VERY verbose query language, but I can't say
anything about its expressive power, although I wouldn't expect much
from it.

Disclaimer: take these opinions with a large grain of salt.  You would
be surprised if I told you how long I looked to the language.

----
Joaquim Baptista, aka px@fct.unl.pt, px@unl.uucp
Snail: CRIA, UNINOVA, FCT/UNL, 2825 Mt Caparica, Portugal

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

px@fct.unl.pt (Joaquim Baptista [pxQuim]) writes:

< I had a look at it once.  It was part of a (probably) public domain
< database called ADABAS, written in COBOL.

There may have been more than one variant of ADABAS, but the one we had
was certainly not public domain.

Nick Maclaren
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory
nmm@cl.cam.ac.uk

In article <49857@ut-emx.uucp> osmigo@ut-emx.uucp (Ron Morgan) writes:
>Some data processing departments (e.g., universities with massive databases)
>use a language called NATURAL, running on an IBM mainframe. It's supposed to
>be similar to COBOL (ugh). I cannot find out *anything* about this language.

In article <PX.91Jun3161211@zen.fct.unl.pt> px@fct.unl.pt (Joaquim Baptista [pxQuim]) writes:
>I had a look at it once.  It was part of a (probably) public domain
>database called ADABAS, written in COBOL.

Well, you're close. Natural is the 4GL for ADABAS, which is a very
expensive DBMS for IBM mainframes and VMS VAXen (maybe others?). ADABAS
is sold by Software AG whose main US office is in Reston, VA, at least it
was two years ago. You should be able to find a phone number for them in
any issue of Datamation or a similar trade rag. Their salescreatures will
be willing to tell you about Natural if you act like a potential customer.

Fred
-- 
Frederic W. Brehm	Siemens Corporate Research	Princeton, NJ
fwb@demon.siemens.com	-or-	...!princeton!siemens!demon!fwb

In article <1991Jun4.085246.25664@cl.cam.ac.uk> nmm@cl.cam.ac.uk (Nick
Maclaren) writes:

   I wrote:

   < I had a look at it once.  It was part of a (probably) public domain
   < database called ADABAS, written in COBOL.

   There may have been more than one variant of ADABAS, but the one we had
   was certainly not public domain.

Some public office related to environmental matters bought a
mainframe, and got ADABAS for free.  That's why I thought it probably
was public domain software.

----
Joaquim Baptista, aka px@fct.unl.pt, px@unl.uucp
Snail: CRIA, UNINOVA, FCT/UNL, 2825 Mt Caparica, Portugal

So long, and thanks for all the fish.