COBOL and COVID-19
by Steve R. from LinuxQuestions.org on (#52KXS)
Sometimes one has to wonder why certain news articles "explode" into the public conscientious. That is the case with COBOL. It has been well know for quite a while that there has been a lack of COBOL programmers. Nobody cared. Now it has become the "crisis of the day" and the media has "discovered" that problem as revealed by the numerous number of articles on this issue.
Some of the articles, have been quite good, exploring the roots of COBOL and discussing the differences between today's programming environment and yesterdays.
Brush up your COBOL: Why is a 60 year old language suddenly in demand?
What Is COBOL, and Why Do So Many Institutions Rely on It?
Why the "crisis" today? Recall the story of the "squeaky wheel". Decision makers, didn't care take on the work and risk to fix and/or upgrade COBOL based applications or move them to new platforms because they were "quiet" and there was very little to be gained by investing in these applications. Why fix something today, when it can be your successor's problem?
Today, we are seeing the negative effects of not investing in keeping applications (in this case COBOL) current.
Some of the articles, have been quite good, exploring the roots of COBOL and discussing the differences between today's programming environment and yesterdays.
Brush up your COBOL: Why is a 60 year old language suddenly in demand?
What Is COBOL, and Why Do So Many Institutions Rely on It?
Why the "crisis" today? Recall the story of the "squeaky wheel". Decision makers, didn't care take on the work and risk to fix and/or upgrade COBOL based applications or move them to new platforms because they were "quiet" and there was very little to be gained by investing in these applications. Why fix something today, when it can be your successor's problem?
Today, we are seeing the negative effects of not investing in keeping applications (in this case COBOL) current.