The problem might not be COBOL

Re:The problem might not be COBOL by sdfhininio on Saturday July 11, 2020 @12:13AM (#23799420)

I don't think this article is fair. It is certainly the case that badmouthing COBOL for its age would be irrational, but I don't think that's what anyone is actually saying. People wouldn't react the same way in the system were written in C or LISP. COBOL has a reputation for being clunky and inexpressive and primitive for reasons other than its age.

Perhaps some popular articles dismissed COBOL for its age. No programmer worth their salt would do so.

(I can't say whether or not COBOL deserves its reputation, and given how many reliable systems are written in COBOL I doubt it is fair to blame it for the failures of this website.)

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Re:The problem might not be COBOL by jhallenworld on Saturday July 11, 2020 @02:19AM (#23800019)

A traditional criticism of COBOL is that it's wordy, but with modern editors, probably not such a big deal.

The one really crazy COBOLism is "Alter":

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS6SG3_4.2.0/...

But all languages have parts which are not recommended to use.. just think of PHP.

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Re:The problem might not be COBOL by DrScump on Saturday July 11, 2020 @05:33AM (#23800762)

In the COBOL shop I worked at in the 80s, GOTOs existed in some legacy code, but ALTER was avoided like the plague.

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