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In 1955, COBOL was the cat's pajamas. The fact that you're unimpressed fifty years later - when COBOL is still the most widespread single programming language
by Vivtek 16y ago
In 1955, COBOL was the cat's pajamas. The fact that you're unimpressed fifty years later - when COBOL is still the most widespread single programming language on the planet - is precisely because it established the very foundations of your world.
The "pipe dream" fails because it is implemented by people who honestly believe programmers are superfluous if you just automate them away - people who don't actually know how programming works. Excel being a case in point. Have you ever tried to shoehorn an Excel spreadsheet into an enterprise software maintenance program? It's really hard.
- gruseom 16y agoI wonder if there's a version of Muphry's Law for condescension. I've been impressed with aspects of COBOL. I even wrote Robert Glass to buy hard copies of his detailed defense of it 5 years ago so I could learn more about what made it great. In certain ways COBOL was better than what came later. Nevertheless what you're saying is historically inaccurate: COBOL was never the cat's pajamas of computer science. It was the original success story of manager-driven development, and that is a very different matter.