SE News

When faced with “computer says no” moments in shops and banks, Jan Stuart is occasionally tempted to leap over the counter and bash the till in frustration. Just like the rest of us. But unlike the rest of us, some thumps from Stuart’s fingers could do some good. Why? Because, as a Cobol programmer, she may be able to fix the problem.

The “common business-oriented language” that has provided 59-year-old Stuart with a career through to retirement age marks its 50th birthday this year. The day to celebrate is slippery - Cobol didn’t just scroll on to a terminal one day and ask the user to hit “Compile” - but 1959 is the year that the language came into being.

And Cobol is still in business. According to David Stephenson, the UK manager for the software provider Micro Focus, “some 70% to 80% of UK plc business transactions are still based on Cobol”.

Scott Colvey

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/09/cobol-internet-programming