COBOL may not be as flashy and new as languages like Python or JavaScript, but it still powers critical business systems across banking, government, retail and more. This comprehensive guide traces COBOL‘s origins, explains how this durable language works, why it persists, and what the future may hold.
Overview
We‘ll cover:
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Origins: COBOL‘s beginnings in the late 1950s to meet new business IT needs
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How it Works: Key features like self-documenting code, precise calculations
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Adoption and Impact: COBOL‘s rise to become the undisputed business language
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Persistence Factors: Why replace or re-write legacy systems?
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Compilers and Tools: Programming environments for COBOL then and now
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Challenges and Changes: Modernization options and future outlook
So join me on a tour across six decades of COBOL!
COBOL is Born: An IT Solution for Business
In the beginning, most computer programming focused on math, science and research problems. But by the 1950s, businesses saw transformative potential in using computers for operational data like payroll, accounting, inventory and more.
The catch? Programming languages of the time like FORTRAN or machine code were not cut out for business applications. Computer experts realized they needed a new language purpose-built for commercial data processing.
In 1959, the Conference on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL) came together to do just that. With input across industry and backing from the U.S. Department of Defense, CODASYL developed the Common Business-Oriented Language, or COBOL.
Key Innovations:
- English-like Syntax: Self-documenting code readable by non-programmers
- Portability: Run on different computer systems
- Data Handling: Store, organize and process business information
While not as sophisticated as later languages, COBOL was exactly what businesses needed to computerize manual operations.
COBOL Takes Over (1960s-1970s)
With strong early backing from the DoD, computer vendors like IBM, and technical schools, COBOL quickl
