What is COBOL and why does it exist?
COBOL is a computer programming language developed by the CODASYL committee (Conference on Data Systems Languages) in 1959. COBOL became the business programming language of choice for large scale applications throughout the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Millions and millions of lines of COBOL programs were written and these systems (often called legacy systems) are still in use today since it is expensive and difficult to replace an accounting system or payroll system in a large corporation. The old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has also played a roll in the continuation of COBOL as a programming language nearly 40 years after its original inception.
