Is it worth learning COBOL in 2020?

You learn how businesses used to operate. You’ll respect how easy things have become in the world of programming and just how much has been obfuscated away from the average developer. When you learn COBOL you learn to be more disciplined and exacting in your programming. The language can be very inflexible and rigid.

Are COBOL programmers still in demand?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the job outlook for computer programmers is declining, but COBOL programmers are still in demand by companies that use COBOL for their daily operations, such as government agencies, banks, and other business organizations.

Is learning COBOL easy?

COBOL is easy! Learning COBOL isn’t like learning a completely new language: it’s English! It consists of English-like structural components such as verbs, clauses and sentences. Its readability means that you can understand what a program is doing without having to learn a whole new syntax.

Who is the author of COBOL programming standards?

COBOL Programming Standards. COBOL Programming Standards Author A J Marston Date Created September, 1984 Date Revised February, 1993 Version 01.006.000 CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Source Code Documentation 3. Program Identification 4. Program Data 4.1 Record Definitions 4.2 Print Line Definitions 4.3 Record Mnemonics 4.4 Item Names

What should be included in a COBOL program ID?

The PROGRAM-ID should be an eight character descriptive name of the program. The AUTHOR must be the name of the student. The date must include DATE-WRITTEN and DATE-COMPILED. There must be remarks divided into specific paragraphs as indicated.

Which is the date compiled function in COBOL?

DATE-COMPILED – this is automatically inserted by the COBOL compiler, and shows the age of the current version of this program. Program function – what is its purpose? Is it a stand-alone program, or part of a suite of programs?

Why is COBOL a flexible free format language?

In the life of any program more time is spent on maintenance and enhancement than was ever spent on the original implementation. COBOL is a flexible, free-format language that has very few internal constraints.