COBOL
COBOL is a statically typed, imperative, procedural programming language with support for object oriented programming. First released in 1959, it's still used today in many banking and financial companies due to it's decimal floating-point arithmetic, making it well suited for financial calculations.
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About COBOL
COBOL is a statically typed, imperative, and procedural programming language with support for object oriented programming. Despite its age, it's still used today in many banking and financial companies due to its default support for decimal floating-point arithmetic and file-processing ability, making it well suited for financial calculations and other business applications.
First released in 1959, it was developed by the Committee on Data Systems Languages(CODASYL) based on the FLOW-MATIC language developed by Remington Rand under the leadership of Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. As part of an effort by the United States Department of Defense to create a portable language for processing data, it was adopted by computer manufacturers and then standardized in 1968, with the current standard being ISO 2014.
The language has two main specialties that separate it from its peers: decimal floating-point arithmetic , and efficiently processing records(files). These qualities make it perfect for the domains of financial computing and enterprise applications, powering everything from payroll systems to airline ticketing. When it comes to processing large amounts of data and large amounts of money, COBOL is on the case.
COBOL was created so that normal businesspeople and managers could read and discuss code with programmers, leading to a syntax very close to the English language that prioritizes readability and maintainability. While this means that programs can have a lot of filler words with no semantic meaning and that there are many keywords, properly-written COBOL programs are easily understood, even decades after being written.
Heads Up: COBOL is known to be a little intimidating due to its unique syntax and its multitude of keywords. Don't be surprised if something doesn't make sense immediately, and feel free to take breaks. There are also a variety of available resources. Keep in mind there may be some dialect differences between sources:
Enterprise COBOL for z/OS TutorialsPoint Documentation Visual COBOL Documentation
Key Features of COBOL
Statically Typed
COBOL's type system allows for defining not only the type of a variable but also it's exact size.
English Syntax
COBOL's syntax was designed to look just like English, making it easy to read and understand.
Stable and Reliable
First released in 1959, it's been exhaustively tested and proven to be extremely reliable.
Precise Calculations
COBOL's decimal arithmetic allows for precise financial calculations without rounding errors.
Fast and Efficient
COBOL is fast and efficient, and it's used for processing millions of bank transactions a day.
Still Evolving
It's still evolving and being updated after 60 years, with a new standard revision releasing soon.
Statically Typed
COBOL's type system allows for defining not only the type of a variable but also it's exact size.
English Syntax
COBOL's syntax was designed to look just like English, making it easy to read and understand.
Stable and Reliable
First released in 1959, it's been exhaustively tested and proven to be extremely reliable.
Precise Calculations
COBOL's decimal arithmetic allows for precise financial calculations without rounding errors.
Fast and Efficient
COBOL is fast and efficient, and it's used for processing millions of bank transactions a day.
Still Evolving
It's still evolving and being updated after 60 years, with a new standard revision releasing soon.
