4 ms·

> Cobol lives because it could do that well. Can't every language do that well?

• protomyth 10y ago
  Amazingly enough, not really. Quite a few don't do it at all without some really good library support. Its not really that "sexy" of a problem and often ignored by people developing languages for interactive situations.
  • nickpsecurity 10y ago
    On top of that, I know actual companies that specialize in doing this for bigger companies. The companies want to move something from form, database, file, or whatever to another. Or merge several with some analysis into a new one. You'd think this would be automated or a simple job for one, on-site programmer. Instead, these firms get paid big money to do that on a regular basis for the same companies. Mind-blowing.
    • protomyth 10y ago
      You would think, but it does take some upfront thinking about how to get data cleanly out of one system and into another. Most developers don't really care about that part so you pay big bucks later. If your report writers are struggling getting collection-style reports (e.g. "give me all open contracts"), expect to pay through the nose.