Cobol is not dead, just out of fashion. ITWeb`s Cobol Round Table incited strong responses from delegates both attacking and defending the technology that claims a controversial history.
"Let`s face it - IT is a fashion industry and the market is driven by perception," commented one participant.
Bharat Kooverjee, systems developer and competency expert, ABSA, estimated there are at least 32 000 qualified Cobol developers in SA.
The old-fashioned guys like me believe that Cobol teaches a disciplined approach that is missing from much of today`s more glamorous development work.
Adrian Schofield, president, Information Industry South Africa
"Many of those who passed the ITUC Cobol exam are no longer practicing the art - they are either higher up the tree or have moved into a new technology," added Adrian Schofield, president of the Information Industry South Africa.
The panel confirmed that new Cobol recruitment numbers are dropping annually. "It`s not so much the job prospects as the perception that Cobol is old fashioned, so the students want to study a 'new millennium` language," commented Schofield.
Although the jury is out on what the "new millennium" language is, many of the panellists agreed that, while Cobol alone will not guarantee a graduate a job, it does serve as a good foundation to programming principles.
"In some companies, Cobol is the language for entry-level developers. After Cobol they branch to another language," said Kooverjee. Schofield concurred: "The old-fashioned guys like me believe that Cobol teaches a disciplined approach that is missing from much of today`s more glamorous development work."
Cobol is still seen by its pundits as the ultimate business application solution, capable of high transaction loads, and suited to defining business rules.
Phillip Rubin, founder and owner of IT Outsource, said Access is different to front-end, while Java cannot cope with high-end processing volumes.
David Blencowe, specialist programmer, JD Blencowe and Associates, agreed: "For mission-critical applications, there is only one language that comes to my mind, and I am not being a bigot by saying it."
"I suggest that Cobol is not just a language, but a technology that has enabled the newer languages to thrive," said Paul Halpern, director, Use Marketing.
Rubin wrapped up: "[Cobol is] not dead, yet. It`s not a good new career either. Leave the maintenance to those who know Cobol. Newbies should look at other more current skills. Cobol won`t die for a while - why re-write business rules that work - if they work! But if you are re-writing the rules, maybe look at other platforms."
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