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Definition: IBM COBOL


The COBOL programming language for IBM mainframes. In 1994, IBM dropped support of OS/VS COBOL, which conformed to ANSI 68 and 74 standards and limited a program's address space to 16 bits. IBM's VS COBOL II (1984) and COBOL/370 (1991) conform to ANSI 85 standards with 31-bit addressing, allowing programs to run "above the line."

COBOL/370 is more compliant with IBM's AD/Cycle and has more string, math and date functions, including four-digit years. It allows development through a PC window and provides enhanced runtime facilities. See AD/Cycle and COBOL.