Re: [open-cobol-list] Web server resources etc?

[Patrick]

Hi Brian, Hi Jim, Hello Fred and Hello Robert :)

I have received great help on and off list with this, thanks!

I read through the forums for a couple hours last night trying to piece 
things together. It looks like Jim has been super generous in the past 
with providing a kick ass server to support development.

I found some code related to interfacing with mysql.

However I am still mixed up though about what a other peoples Cobol "web 
stacks" look like.

For instance has anyone written a Mod Cobol module for Apache?
Or Is Cobol being used as another layer on top of a framework like Rails?

My problem domain is very strange and would take too much time to read 
in detail about but in a nutshell:

I have been servicing scientific instruments for 14 years. I can figure 
out what command the instruments will respond to without the help of the 
original manufacturer. I have been trying to come up with many 
strategies to provide software to labs to control their instruments and 
process data but there are many problems  in coming up with the right 
model to do this and I have been struggling on and off for years.

I am now thinking about proving a pay-per-command code 
generating/emitting website that will emit code(probably a dynamic 
language) the labs can use to control their instruments locally. The 
price would vary depending on how much of the instruments "command set" 
was needed. They would input their scientific method into the website in 
order to come up with this information for the program and billing system.

Everything can be open source this way but I will also me able to retain 
some of the unused commands from the "command sets" the customers didn't 
need to pay for, slowing down potential competitors who won't have 
complete sets.

So I can do this is a variety of ways and I am open to working in ways 
that will help the community. I am pretty poor right now but I can also 
throw everything I have at this, there is a huge market and I have been 
struggling to capitalize on it.

What sort of stack is being used and what would work best for everyone? 
It looks like Hitachi uses Cobol with Java. I don't know any Java but I 
could learn. Would "piggy-backing" on a Java framework be good  what 
about something more dynamics like Python or Ruby?

If Mod Cobol is needed, could I write this cased on Mod C ?

Any feedback or guidance is appreciated.

I am in some trouble and have to focus on adverting an audit and have  
bunch of orders to ship, I might be slow responding but I am very 
excited about this-Patrick