NUHMAN.com

In the early days of computing, most programming languages were designed with scientific and mathematical applications in mind. That changed with COBOL — COmmon Business-Oriented Language — which emerged in 1959 to address the unique needs of the business world. With a focus on readability, data processing, and long-term usability, COBOL quickly became the backbone of corporate, banking, and government systems.

Origins of COBOL

The development of COBOL was driven by the U.S. Department of Defense, which wanted a standardized programming language for business applications. A committee called the Conference on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL) was formed to create it.

Key figures:

• Grace Hopper, a pioneering computer scientist, played a central role in promoting machine-independent, English-like programming languages.
• The first COBOL compiler was completed in 1960, and the language was soon adopted by major corporations and government agencies.

Key Features of COBOL

1. English-Like Syntax:
2. COBOL was designed to be readable and understandable by non-programmers, such as business analysts and managers.
3. Example:

cobol

IF BALANCE > 0
    DISPLAY "ACCOUNT IN GOOD STANDING".

1. Strong Support for Data Processing:
2. COBOL handles large volumes of structured data efficiently, with features like file handling, records, and fixed-length data fields.
3. Machine Independence:
4. COBOL programs could be transferred between different hardware systems with minimal changes, aiding standardization.
5. Division-Based Structure:
6. COBOL code is organized into four divisions:

• IDENTIFICATION DIVISION – Program metadata
• ENVIRONMENT DIVISION – Hardware and system settings
• DATA DIVISION – Variable and data definitions
• PROCEDURE DIVISION – Logic and instructions

1. Stability and Backward Compatibility:
2. One of COBOL’s key traits is that older programs often run with little or no modification on modern systems.

COBOL's Rise in Business Computing

By the 1970s and 1980s, COBOL was ubiquitous in business environments:

• Used by banks, insurance companies, retailers, and governments
• Powered payroll, inventory, tax processing, and ATM transactions
• Became the dominant language for mainframe computing, especially on IBM systems

It's estimated that billions of lines of COBOL code are still in use today.

Modern Usage and Legacy

1. Legacy Systems:
2. Many organizations — particularly in finance and government — still run critical systems written in COBOL. It remains one of the most mission-critical languages in the world.
3. Y2K and COVID-19 Response:
4. During the Y2K bug remediation in the late 1990s and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, COBOL programmers were in high demand to update aging unemployment and benefits systems.
5. COBOL Today:

• Modern implementations support object-oriented programming (COBOL 2002 and later)
• Tools like GnuCOBOL and COBOL-IT allow COBOL development on modern systems
• Educational institutions still offer COBOL training for maintenance of legacy systems

Conclusion

COBOL may not be flashy or modern, but it has quietly powered much of the business and government infrastructure for over six decades. Designed with clarity, reliability, and stability in mind, COBOL represents a triumph of practical programming — a language that continues to deliver value well beyond its original scope. As long as there are systems processing payroll, taxes, and financial records, COBOL is here to stay.