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A Minecraft server written in COBOL

github.com

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Re: A Minecraft server written in COBOL

#11

Post by 082349872349872 »

notfried wrote: post #5

> Well, there are quite a lot of rumors and stigma surrounding COBOL. This intrigued me to find out more about this language, which is best done with some sort of project, in my opinion. You heard right - I had no prior COBOL experience going into this. I hope they'd write an article about any insights they gained. Like them, I hear of these rumors and stigma, and would be intrigued to learn what a new person to COBO…

One of the rumoured stigma is that the object-oriented flavour of COBOL goes by the unwieldy name of ADD ONE TO COBOL YIELDING COBOL.

At least it doesn't have the unrumoured stigma of older FORTRANs, which ignored whitespace, allowing:

    DO 10 I=1.10
to silently compile an assignment:

    DO10I = 1.10
instead of signalling an error for the syntax of the loop the flight software programmer had intended:

    DO 10 I=1,10

Re: A Minecraft server written in COBOL

#17

Post by thrw42A8N »

coolkil wrote: post #14
cess11 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would probably take a few hours to get Hercules and some old z/OS and check, but it's doable.

Or ask my colleague who is zos sysprog to run it on our own ;) Or just run on zlinux

It can run on zLinux, but that's not as interesting as z/OS.

Re: A Minecraft server written in COBOL

#18

Post by thijsvandien »

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #12

I'm always hearing that Cobol programmers get high salaries, because they are so rare. Did this project generate any flood of offers for work?

Those who do are valued not for their programming skills but their knowledge of the (very complex, largely undocumented) system and its business environment.

Re: A Minecraft server written in COBOL

#19

Post by z3t4 »

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #12

I'm always hearing that Cobol programmers get high salaries, because they are so rare. Did this project generate any flood of offers for work?

It's not Cobol programmers that are rare, it's a shortage of people that can understand the business logic. Cobol is often used in very complicated business operations.

Re: A Minecraft server written in COBOL

#20

Post by aithrowawaycomm »

zimpenfish wrote: post #15

Can't tell if it supports redstone (which I would consider basic functionality in a Minecraft server) - isn't called out in the README and the code only makes mention of redstone torches (which also function as a light source).

I think the README tacitly says "redstone is not supported" since those blocks have multiple states:

  Note that blocks with multiple states, orientations, or interactive blocks require large amounts of specialized code to make them behave properly, which is way beyond the scope of this project. Some are supported, however:

  torches (all variants)
  slabs (all variants)
  stairs (non-connecting)
  rotated pillars, such as logs or basalt
  buttons (non-interactive)
  doors (including interaction)
  trapdoors (including interaction)
  beds
In particular, it seems buttons don't emit redstone signals.
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