COBOL: Still Relevant in a Modern Programming Landscape
Despite the rise of newer and more popular programming languages such as Java and .NET, COBOL remains a significant force in the world of business and institutional data processing. This article explores the current demand for COBOL programmers, the challenges of maintaining and updating COBOL code, and why COBOL still holds its ground in the modern tech landscape.
The Declining Demand for COBOL Developers
COBOL is a stable language with limited new development. Due to its stability, many organizations choose not to change what is working. However, the demand for COBOL developers is on the decline. New projects are not being initiated in COBOL, and existing code is being slowly migrated to other languages. Companies are shifting to external consultancy firms that provide COBOL training. Over time, these firms will decommission more and more COBOL applications, leading to a eventual disappearance of COBOL development roles in-house. While COBOL may still offer steady and well-paying jobs, they are likely to disappear in a few years, possibly between 5 to 10 years.
COBOL and Maintenance
Despite the declining demand, COBOL still handles a massive amount of data processing. There are billions of lines of COBOL code that need to be maintained and enhanced. However, many companies with large COBOL portfolios have outsourced or moved coding overseas to cut labor costs. This shift has impacted the job market for COBOL developers. The main challenge is ensuring that the knowledge of the application and management oversight are maintained. Although the quality of code can sometimes be poor, both domestic and international efforts are striving for high-quality standards.
The Niche of COBOL
COBOL's capabilities make it a unique language, particularly in the realm of data processing and institutional computing. COBOL is specifically designed for record-oriented input and output, which is crucial for many business applications. While Python or Java may be more popular for web applications or operating systems, COBOL remains indispensable for tasks that require handling large amounts of structured data efficiently.
COBOL's Record-Oriented I/O
Record-oriented I/O is a concept that can be applied to nearly all applications, yet most modern languages have shifted to byte-stream definitions. In COBOL, this is handled more efficiently, reducing the complexity of handling input and output operations. By treating free-form variables as compile-time constants, COBOL simplifies the development process and reduces the likelihood of errors.
The Future of COBOL
The GCC project, which aims to provide support for COBOL on Linux, has spent significant resources to add a COBOL frontend for gcc. This initiative, though seemingly straightforward, underscores the need for a language that can handle specific types of tasks efficiently. Even in the modern era, COBOL continues to thrive with estimates suggesting over 100 billion lines of COBOL code are still in use, with millions more being written annually. The continued reliance on COBOL in critical areas such as banking and finance further reinforces its relevance in the programming landscape.
Conclusion
While the demand for COBOL developers is waning, the language remains a vital part of the business and institutional data processing world. Its unique capabilities in record-oriented I/O and its vast existing codebase ensure that COBOL is not going away anytime soon. Companies must balance the desire to modernize with the need to maintain legacy systems that still provide essential services.