How to Install COBOL on MacOS?

COBOL is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use. It is an imperative, procedural, and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL is primarily used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments.

In this article, we will look at the process of installing COBOL in MacOS.

Installation Procedure:

Follow the below steps to install COBOL in MacOS:

Step 1: Install Homebrew if it is not installed in your system. Enter system password if required.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install.sh)"

Step 2: Install the GNU-COBOL using the below brew command:

brew install gnu-cobol

Step 3: Check if it is installed correctly using the below command:

cobc -v

Hello, world in COBOL:

Use the below in a new .cbl file and save it inside a folder to run the hello world program.

Cobol

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. HELLOWORLD.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY "HELLO WORLD".
STOP RUN.

Now open a terminal inside the folder and enter the following commands to build and run the code:

cobc -x -o hello_world hello_world.cbl
./hello_world

Output:

Installing COBOL-IDE:

Prerequisites

• Install latest Python3 in MacOS
• Install the following packages using pip3:
  • PyQt5: pip3 install PyQt5
  • OpenCobolIDE: pip3 install OpenCobolIDE –upgrade

Now Enter OpenCobolIDE in Terminal to launch the IDE:

The IDE should open up as shown below, Click on New File.

Here Enter a name and select OK.

A “Hello World” program should appear by default, Click on RUN to view “Hello World” as Output.