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Time for another sortie by the COBOL evangelism task force. Java has been the new COBOL since its inception in the 1990s. I programmed quite a bit in COBOL ea

Time for another sortie by the COBOL evangelism task force. Java has been the new COBOL since its inception in the 1990s. I programmed quite a bit in COBOL early in my career. It's an extremely efficient language for scanning records especially in an era when a large proportion of data was stored offline on mag tape. Most common business problems of the era could be expressed and solved effectively in COBOL, which is why it became so popular. I programmed in both C++ and Smalltalk in the early 1990s, which were innovative but also difficult to use for large systems. Java hit a happy medium with its C++-like object syntax, built-in libraries, and virtual machine operation with garbage collection. Add in the network effects from wide adoption (leading to tools and libraries) and it became a huge hit. Oracle seems to be going out of its way to submerge the language in confusion. But nobody should mistake this as a reflection on the inherent capabilities of Java or its fitness for use. Edit: correct typo

DaiPlusPlus 8y ago
How does one secure a COBOL gig today, and is the supply:demand ratio such to guarantee excellent compensation and working conditions?
- DonHopkins 8y ago
  Be patient, and talk to your local Alcor representative. https://medium.com/@donhopkins/cobol-forever-1a49f7d28a39 https://medium.com/@donhopkins/cobol-forever-1a49f7d28a39
int_19h 8y ago
I think you're missing the point of the COBOL comparison. It is not meant to imply that Java is similar to COBOL as languages go, or that it is as bad as COBOL, or even that COBOL is bad. In fact, you described exactly why it is the new COBOL: because it is also an efficient and popular language for common business problems of our era, that is hugely popular, but mostly in "unexciting" places like large internal enterprise apps, out of sight for many. And just like COBOL, it will keep ticking on like that, probably forever.

DaiPlusPlus 8y ago

How does one secure a COBOL gig today, and is the supply:demand ratio such to guarantee excellent compensation and working conditions?

DonHopkins 8y ago
Be patient, and talk to your local Alcor representative. https://medium.com/@donhopkins/cobol-forever-1a49f7d28a39 https://medium.com/@donhopkins/cobol-forever-1a49f7d28a39

int_19h 8y ago

I think you're missing the point of the COBOL comparison. It is not meant to imply that Java is similar to COBOL as languages go, or that it is as bad as COBOL, or even that COBOL is bad. In fact, you described exactly why it is the new COBOL: because it is also an efficient and popular language for common business problems of our era, that is hugely popular, but mostly in "unexciting" places like large internal enterprise apps, out of sight for many. And just like COBOL, it will keep ticking on like that, probably forever.