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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 act

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.)

jhallenworld 6y ago
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/com.ibm.entcobol.doc_4.2/PGandLR/ref/rlpsalte.htm 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.
- DrScump 6y ago
  In the COBOL shop I worked at in the 80s, GOTOs existed in some legacy code, but ALTER was avoided like the plague.