International Business Machines Corporation

William Nicholas Tindall

Henry Y Saade

Michael Thomas Wheatley

Alan Roeder Elderon

William Augustus Carter

Mark David Nicholas

Timothy David Magee

Grant Sutherland

Timothy Edward Weinmann

Jeffrey Ramesh Urs

A method, apparatus, and article for solving the year 2000 problem involves limited modifications in the data definition portions of the source code and compiler support for processing the modified source code. Fields in the source code that contain a year or date values are identified and, for each such field, the user selects an appropriate technique (for example, expansion, compression or windowing). The user modifies the data definition for each identified field, by adding new attributes to request the selected technique. The user then compiles the program and resolves any ambiguous references to the variables whose definitions were modified. This procedure is applied, module by module, and each processed module is merged into production, after testing, by using a compiler option to disable the use of the new attributes. A compiler option provides for the generation of debugger hooks for each statement that has been affected by modified declarations, which may be used with a suitably equipped debugger or other run-time analysis tool.

Compiler-assisted or interpreter-assisted expansion solution to the year

Compiler-assisted solution to the year 2000 problem for computer programs

A method, apparatus, and article for solving the year 2000 problem involves limited modifications in the data definition portions of the source code and compiler or interpreter support for processing the modified source code. Fields in the source code that contain a year or date values are identified and, for each such field, the user selects an appropriate technique (for example, expansion, compression or windowing). The user modifies the data definition for each identified field, by adding new attributes to request the selected technique. The user then compiles or interprets the program and resolves any ambiguous references to the variables whose definitions were modified. This procedure is applied, module by module, and each processed module is merged into production, after testing, by using a compiler option to disable the use of the new attributes. A compiler or interpreter option provides for the generation of debugger hooks for each statement that has been affected by modified declarations, which may be used with a suitably equipped debugger or other run-time analysis tool.

Compiler-assisted or interpreter-assisted solution to the year 2000

Compiler-assisted or interpreter-assisted windowing solution to the year

A method for optimizing instruction path lengths in a compilation of COBOL source code with reference to PERFORM statements requires a two-step procedure in which the control transfer relationship among the PERFORM statements and associated procedures is characterized as a vector of attributes, and a second step in which the vectors are interpreted for any given PERFORM statement such that, where indicated, the code of the procedure or simplified linkage code will be substituted for the PERFORM statement.

Optimizing cobol object code instruction path length with respect to

Growing community of inventors

San Martin, CA, United States of America

William Nicholas Tindall