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COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)

COBOL is a programming language created in 1959 to allow programs written in it to run on different manufacturers' computers. It was one of the first high-level programming languages and is still used today primarily for business applications run on mainframes, though some programs were moved to PCs in the 1980s. While once considered obsolete, COBOL is still critical for banks and large corporations to run accuracy-dependent programs and was often upgraded instead of replaced due to large program size when preparing for Y2K.

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171 views2 pages

COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)

COBOL is a programming language created in 1959 to allow programs written in it to run on different manufacturers' computers. It was one of the first high-level programming languages and is still used today primarily for business applications run on mainframes, though some programs were moved to PCs in the 1980s. While once considered obsolete, COBOL is still critical for banks and large corporations to run accuracy-dependent programs and was often upgraded instead of replaced due to large program size when preparing for Y2K.

Uploaded by

christine booduan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)

COBOL is a programming language that reads like regular English and is often used for business and
administrative purposes. The name means Common Business Oriented Language. COBOL is referred to as
a legacy language, which means it is in a format that is no longer used or supported by new systems. But
COBOL is critical to the success of many companies and so has stuck around even as technology has moved
forward.

Fifty years ago, each computer maker used its own programming languages to tell a computer what to
do. In 1959, a group of programmers devised COBOL, a Common, Business-Oriented Language. Programs
written in COBOL could run on more than one manufacturer’s computer. In a 1960 test, the same COBOL
programs ran successfully on two computers built by different manufacturers.

COBOL has been around since 1959, when it was developed by the Conference on Data Systems Languages
(CODASYL). It was one of the first high-level programming languages created. COBOL is run on the
mainframe as well as on the PC.

It was during the 1980's that some small businesses moved some of their mainframe COBOL programs to
PC. But, this was no simple task. In the 1990's, COBOL was widely considered a thing of the past. It was
obsolete, mainly because technology was becoming more object-oriented and moving away from the
mainframe.

However, COBOL wasn't left behind completely. It was still used by banks and other major corporations
who depend heavily on accuracy and the stability of their programs to keep their companies running.
COBOL worked as many of them wanted it to for the most part. When hit with the idea of migration to
new languages, they found that many of their COBOL programs were quite large and difficult to migrate.
So, as many corporations prepared for year 2000, they upgraded their COBOL programs to run well
beyond 2000, versus changing them over to a new languages.

Written initially for the short range, COBOL proved so useful that it dominated much of government and
business data processing for decades. Millions of banking transactions are still processed daily with COBOL
programs. As the use of common programming languages became standard, a flourishing independent
computer software industry emerged.

To begin writing a COBOL program, you need a compiler and a location to write the program. You can
write COBOL programs in text editors like Notepad++ or Text Edit. Once it is written, the program must be
compiled to check for errors and converted into a language that the computer can read.
Advantages :

• It's easy to read. Its high-level English-like syntax can resemble a well-structured novel with
appendices, cross-reference tables, chapters, footnotes and paragraphs.

• It is self-documenting and appeals to proponents of readability.

• It can handle huge processing volumes with ease.

• It's still widely used for business applications, which is an area it excels at. COBOL is relatively easy
to develop, use, and maintain.

Disadvantages :

• It is sometime necessary for a COBOL programmer to have a knowledge of machine language


code, for if diagnostics do not produce a clue as necessary to look at a "CORE DUMP'. Thus the COBOL
programmer may be required to have a proficiency in two programming languages.

• The time required to compile a COBOL program might be greater than with a machine oriented
programming language.

Uses Of COBOL:

 COBOL is primarily used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and
governments.
 COBOL is still widely used in legacy applications deployed on mainframe computers such as large-
scale batch and transactions processing jobs.
 But due to its declining popularity and retirement of experienced COBOL programmers, programs
are being migrated to new platforms, rewritten in modern languages or replaced with software
packages.

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