I agree with Clark.
In addition, even the best language can have it's best features ignored
by programmers so that others can claim it's the language's fault.
I have seen both REXX and C code that was totally unreadable due to the
programmer putting 24 nested functions in one statement. I have seen
COBOL code that is unreadable because the programmer used cryptic
variable names are very complex IF comparisons. I even saw one COBOL
program where the variables were all in Spanish in a shop in North
Alabama where there was only one programmer that spoke Spanish within
100 miles. Totally unreadable by the guy that followed him (me).
Don't blame the language. Blame the management that allowed programmers
to write code that was not readable by the next guy.
I used to work for a large software development firm that had strict
standards. This was before even dial-up. Most new programmers fussed
about the programming standards. Until, they got a support call at 3am
and had to debug a program over the phone with the customer reading the
COBOL source to them. Taking a little longer to code, and typing a
little more, cost very little but added a lot of ease to the back end
when it came to support.
Tony Thigpen
Clark Morris wrote on 7/16/20 10:16 PM:
[Default] On 16 Jul 2020 10:34:40 -0700, in bit.listserv.ibm-main
[email protected] (Seymour J Metz) wrote:
The claim that COBOL is English like is every bit as bogus as the claim that
rewriting existing COBOL applications in another language will magically fix
problems of underfunding, understaffing and general mismanagement.
Looking at some of the comment I have seen in Assembler code including
my own, COBOL code is close to the syntax of those comments.
Clark Morris
BTW, when the language du jour is out of fashion, will they want to rewrite the
application again, with the same pretext? And will they ensure that this time
they have adequate documentation and adequate configuration control?
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