CoBOL versus Java - The Relevance of CoBOL Today

A set of links discussing the continued relevance and contributions that CoBOL can make to IT today, as well as some of the shortcomings of Java.

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Clabby Analytics Examines, and Refutes,  the Myth of a CoBOL Skills Shortage In this paper Clabby Analytics closely examines the mistaken belief that there is an imminent shortage of professionals with CoBOL skills needed to support Legacy Systems --- and refutes it.
CoBOL and Java Co-Exist for Deutsche Bank This paper details the successful modernization of European Deutsche Bank's CoBOL system into the web-enabled world by using XML.
CoBOL in the Information Systems Curriculum Two academics make the case for continued instruction in CoBOL. Their justification? "Ultimately, we should be asking ourselves not what is the best language, but what is the best language for the given problem scenario."
CoBOL is Dead… Seriously?  Part 1 of 4 In his four part series, Dave Dischiave deals with the Myth that CoBOL is dead by addressing the key issues of "brain drain", maintainability, understandability, and performance.
Dischiave
Dischiave
CoBOL is Dead… Seriously?  Part 2 of 4 Part two of the four part series.
CoBOL is Dead… Seriously?  Part 3 of 4 Part three of the four part series.
CoBOL is Dead… Seriously?  Part 4 of 4 Part four of the four part series.
CoBOL Still Relevant to Government Systems CoBOL will still be in place at large government installations for a long, long time. This brief article explains the essence of "why".
French Finance Ministry Modernizes... and Stays with CoBOL The French Ministry of Finance, responsible for administering the nation's Value Added Tax (VAT) system, decides to "modernize" its twenty-five year old Legacy System - they moved from a proprietary version of CoBOL to an open-source CoBOL, CoBOL-IT.
Java apps have most flaws, Cobol apps the least, study finds Surprise!  CoBOL applications have far fewer defects than Java applications. And it's not even close -- CoBOL is better than Java by a factor of four. The study is not just anecdotal; it is based upon a study of 745 applications and more than 300 million lines of code.
One Giant Step Backwards - Why Domain Specific Languages like CoBOL Still Matter In this classic paper from a noted computer author and industry practitioner, Robert Glass gives us the reasons why a "one size fits all" general-purpose language like Java or C# is inferior to a "domain-specific" language like CoBOL, designed for business applications, or FORTRAN, designed for scientific applications.
The Dark Side of Java A short and lively paper about some of the shortcomings of Java. It certainly calls into question the appropriateness of using in Java all situations.  Gives a description of some of the difficulties of code re-use in Java, problems inherent in a "everything is in a class" approach, and problems of maintainibility of large systems written in Java.
Why the Pentagon's ERP Accounting Fixes Wind Up Broken This first rate article from Reuters delves into the problems the Department of Defense has in replacing its Legacy Systems with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Conclusion: it is very difficult to customize stock ERP systems to do what the Legacy Systems do. After spending over $1 Billion, DoD canceled the effort. Back to the drawing board.