[Info-vax] Licenses on VAX/VMS 4.0/4.1 source code listing scans

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 12/11/21 11:51 AM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 12/11/2021 8:20 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>             Kind of like COBOL.  It is probably one of the
>> most used languages for serious business applications in use
>> today.  Some of the largest information systems in the world
>> are written in it.  Everybody is affected by its use every day.
> 
> If an application:
> - is processing money
> - first version was written before 1995
> - has not been rewritten after 1995
> then there is a good chance that it is in Cobol.

And, not just processing money.

> 
> And a lot of those applications are very important applications.
> 
> But I am not so sure that it is one of the most used languages.

I didn't say most used languages.  I limited myself to serious
business.  There is no COBOL version of Candy Crush.

> The estimate is that Cobol is about 200 billion out of 3 trillion lines
> of code (7%). And based on hiring statistics it looks like Cobol
> work is like 1% of development work being done.

Many of the times those hiring statistics are compiled by thge
people trying to kill COBOL.  I have watched the number of COBOL
jobs publicly advertised rise by  more than 1000% in the past
5-10 years.  I have followed and even been involved with some of
the largest COBOL users and watched their hiring practices. Believe it 
or not, not everyone hires thru Indeed, Monster or Dice.

> 
> And all the largest systems are distributed. They use
> Hadoop, Cassandra, Kafka etc.. Traditional technologies
> does simply not scale to that level.

You wanna bet?  While some of the frontend stuff has mofrated to
the typical web crap the IRS for example is still a Unisys OS2200
shop with the code being mostly Legacy ACOB carried forward from
its origination on a UNIVAC 1100.

> 
>> And yet, because academia continues to denigrate it and refuses
>> to teach it the pool of technicians competent in its use continues
>> to drop.
> 
> Very few new people learn Cobol.

My point exactly.

> 
> But is there a need for more Cobol programmers?

More everyday.  And the COVID lockdowns have increased that as
many remote workers are opting to retire rather than return to
the office making the shortage worse.

> 
> If there were then the salaries for Cobol programmer would
> sky rocket.

COBOL programmers have already been receiving 6 figure salaries.
the biggest reason for the lack of publicly viewable job offerings
has more to do with job stability than lack of jobs.

----------------------------------------------------

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Salary
$92,914 - $120,789 per year

"Use Integrated Database Management System (IDMS), Common Business
Oriented Language (COBOL), and Job Control Language (JCL) in a
mainframe environment to design software for Payroll Systems used
by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service."

-------------------------------------------------------

This announcement or similar ones has been running almost constantly
for as long as I have been following the the business.  More than 20
years.

> 
> It has not.

Most of the places that employ COBOL programmers do not make salary
information available.  Some take this to mean they don't pay. One
does not necessarily equate to the other.

bill