[Info-vax] Writer advice requested

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <EP2dnTN3Mp59anzRnZ2dnUVZ_t2dnZ2d at giganews.com>,
	"Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> writes:
> On 11/15/2010 7:55 PM, VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>> In article<4ce1bedc$0$29264$c3e8da3$88b277c5 at news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei<jfmezei.spamnot at vaxination.ca>  writes:
>>> Rob Brown wrote:
>>>
>>>>> What's wrong with COBOL?
>>>>
>>>> A cross between Assembler and English, with all the disadvantages of
>>>> both.
>>>
>>>
>>> This brings instant image of Mr VAXman doing kernel code in COBOL :-)
>>
>> Never.  I still can't figure out where the code is in all the PIC crap.
>> When I see PIC, I think Position Independent Code.
>>
>>
> 
> In COBOL "PIC" means "PICture".  It's more or less the equivalent of a 
> FORTRAN "FORMAT" statement and describes how input data or output data 
> is to be formatted.
> 
> Move down to the "PROCEDURE DIVISION" to find the executable code.
> 
> Sometimes I amaze myself!  I haven't written a line of COBOL in 
> thirty-two years!

I don't do it on a day-to-day basis to pay the bills, but I still
write COBOL.  I am actually working on a program now to handle adding
new users to our systems every semester.  I still find COBOL fun and
would love to go back to doing it full-time.  And COBOL under VMS was
particularly nice but I doubt there is much left and probably none
that would be hiring rather than just waiting for the oldtimers to
retire.

I do have a couple of larger projects I work on when I have spare time
(which isn't often lately) but I am sure people would just say "write it
in PHP" and laugh at the effort.  But in the long run I expect to have
a much better product when I enevtually finish it and the need is not
likely to go away before then.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>