Yes, that was my point, or at least part of it: COBOL style isn't suitable for mathematical programming. The other part is that it was never intended for progr

Yes, that was my point, or at least part of it: COBOL style isn't suitable for mathematical programming. The other part is that it was never intended for programmers at all; it was for the ‘vice-president or a colonel or admiral’ who wanted the illusion of being able to understand their underlings' work. I think it's unfortunate that it took over general-purpose computing during the dot-com boom; prolixity engenders clarity about as much in code as in human language.