> COBOL on a mainframe would remain current for decades Only if the underlying problem solved by the program doesn't change for decades, and even if this case,

> COBOL on a mainframe would remain current for decades Only if the underlying problem solved by the program doesn't change for decades, and even if this case, the piece of software in question is a constrain to the industry using it. I'm sure a dentist would loves to have some fancy REST 4.0 BUZZ-WORD-OF-THE-DAY client management system. I am using some industry "standard" industrial CNC software and it not only constrains me to 15 years old hardware but also restrict me to use programming quirk specific to this software which very much qualify as being "tech debt". In this case, the business is built around the software.