GnuCOBOL 3.1.1 • Hacker News Board

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#11

Post by peter_retief » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:35 PM UTC

I think I may have started a course in COBOL many years ago. Wonder if would be worth learning it now? There is a lot of COBOL code that needs to be maintained.

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#12

Post by Minor49er » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:36 PM UTC

speeder wrote: post #5

Sometimes I wonder if I should learn COBOL just so maybe I can get my first real programming job. (and no, I am not joking...)

Just curious, but why is COBOL the first language that you think about for this?

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#13

Post by Bostonian » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:36 PM UTC

enriquto wrote: post #3

yeneek wrote: post #2

Word COBOL triggers in me PTSD.

for me it's "import pandas as pd"

What's wrong with that? I have seen it often in books and other places.

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#14

Post by sto_hristo » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:38 PM UTC

I once saw a web framework done in prolog. Modern world is abundant in everything you need and everything else you don't. (not a complaint)

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#15

Post by melenaboija » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:38 PM UTC

rhabarba wrote: post #7

speeder wrote: post #5

Sometimes I wonder if I should learn COBOL just so maybe I can get my first real programming job. (and no, I am not joking...)

At least they will pay you well.

And you will not have to deal with the ego of the current programmers that pretend they now everything about any existing programming language, paradigm and technical stack (where I include myself and because that is what is demanded)

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#16

Post by bjarneh » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:39 PM UTC

Keeping it old school with sourceforge of course

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#17

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:40 PM UTC

I do not get all the hatred. The idea behind COBOL’s syntax is the same as SQL’s: it is merely yet another “Structured English Query/Programming Language” designed, initially, for non-programmers to be able to describe in words what it is they would like to accomplish in a way they could be understood by the computer.

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#18

Post by johannes1234321 » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:40 PM UTC

peter_retief wrote: post #11

I think I may have started a course in COBOL many years ago. Wonder if would be worth learning it now? There is a lot of COBOL code that needs to be maintained.

If you want to have a career in large corporations keeping a decades old codebase alive it can be a good way, which might be saner than many startups.

If you however want to build up something new and put your heart into it and revolutionize the world it probably isn't.

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#19

Post by sto_hristo » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:40 PM UTC

peter_retief wrote: post #11

I think I may have started a course in COBOL many years ago. Wonder if would be worth learning it now? There is a lot of COBOL code that needs to be maintained.

s/maintained/replaced :D

Re: GnuCOBOL 3.1.1

#20

Post by peter_retief » Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 1:45 PM UTC

johannes1234321 wrote: post #18

peter_retief wrote: post #11

I think I may have started a course in COBOL many years ago. Wonder if would be worth learning it now? There is a lot of COBOL code that needs to be maintained.

If you want to have a career in large corporations keeping a decades old codebase alive it can be a good way, which might be saner than many startups. If you however want to build up something new and put your heart into it and revolutionize the world it probably isn't.

I love learning new languages, I have worked with MUMPS