Cobol and older languages and data – translated to global open formats.

Evan Kirstel #B2B #TechFluencer @EvanKirstel
The World Depends on 60-Year-Old Code No One Knows Anymore | PCMag https://pcmag.com/articles/ibms-plan-to-update-cobol-with-watson
Replying to @EvanKirstel
My brother, Clif, translates Cobol to modern languages. He will say, “Just leave the legacy systems running.”, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. Then, in parallel take critical systems and use a universal translator (he wrote one) to let the old programmers use Cobol and the newer ones (and AIs) use new languages that can be tested extensively and optimized. All languages can be expressed in one global language now. And, in time, the systems changed, replaced or eliminated. Compiled programs, with source code, are somewhat finite and determinable. But much remains in human memories. That lack of foresight and relying on humans to store memories is what got you in the current mess. The AI companies will love it, because they can charge $30 Trillion to solve your $3 T problem, with zero promises or certifications.

 
All the current computer languages now are obsolete in that sense: Fortran, Basic, Pascal, Rust, and many dozens of others. Clif translated about 30 of them already, and many data “languages”. Teach the AIs (their groups) how to program and solve problems that have to be done, exactly, with no mistakes (now the “AIs” always guess). 
 
Clif will probably laugh at you. Brilliant big corporations, making elementary mistakes. And, it is the customers and the poor who will suffer.
 
Do you really think all those companies are idiots and have not been thinking about what to do next?
 
(“cobol” “obsolete”) has 1.4 Million entry points. At least those who did write can work together. But they will not. And, it is the customers and the poor who will suffer.
 
I started programming 58 years ago and Clif just three years younger. We have seen every fad and bandwagon in software and hardware over these decades.
 
Happy New Year!
 
CollinsSoftware.com
Richard K Collins

About: Richard K Collins

Director, The Internet Foundation Studying formation and optimized collaboration of global communities. Applying the Internet to solve global problems and build sustainable communities. Internet policies, standards and best practices.


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