RE: Rats! I opened it ( was RE: test-please do not open )

I certainly still use COBOL. I needed to write a bunch of data transforms a 
while back and COBOL was my choice. The transforms were essentially a variety 
of record formats with a lot of packed and other data types that had to be 
turned into text fields. MOVE CORRESPONDING made it a pure breeze and 
drastically reduced my coding and debugging time. The work was in choosing the 
appropriate PICTURE clauses on the output side.

Although I did miss the RPG prototyping for the next steps -- iconv() 
conversions -- it was no big deal once the first one was done. From the first 
one, it was almost clone the next and change a few variable names.

COBOL plays well enough in ILE, though it took some research to get comfortable 
with run-units. The in-line PERFORM structure as well as all of the scoped 
clauses on I/O statements, etc., make for some very pleasing looking code.

Besides, try doing WRITE AFTER ROLLING in RPG.


cobol400-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>   2. Re:  Rats! I opened it ( was RE: test-please do not open )
>      (geir.kildal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
>
>Well, either we are too clever, or we are a dying breed?
>
>What if some of you could write someting about COBOL's future to this 
>list.  What happends to COBOL? (ILE, OO, etc, etc...)  Is it at all 
>interesting working with COBOL today?  Or is it only us oldtimers 
>mantaining old systems who are using the laguage today?  They do not learn 
>it in scools anymore...(it's decades ago..

-- 
Tom Liotta
The PowerTech Group, Inc.
19426 68th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
Phone  253-872-7788 x313
Fax    253-872-7904
http://www.powertech.com


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