At 12:18 PM 3/12/96 -0500, Nick Demos wrote:
>I see two problems with C++ for commercial applictions:
>
>1.  Not as easy for the non-original-coder to follow the program logic.
>
>2.  C++ is SOOO flexible that it can be taylored to the coder's style and
>>idiosyncracies which makes it even harder for someone else to follow and
>>maintain the program.
>
>In summary - not as easily maintained, which I consider VERY important.
 
I see two problems with COBOL for commercial applications:
 
1.  Not as easy for the maintainer to follow the program logic.
 
2.  COBOL is SOOO flexible that it can be tailored to the coder's style and
idiosyncracies which makes it even harder for someone else to follow and
maintain the program.
 
In summary - not as easily maintained, which I consider VERY important.
 
:-)
 
Ease of maintenance has far more to do with choosing appropriate
algorithms and data structures than it does the choice of language.
It also helps if the implementor follows a consistent coding style;
consistency is more important than the particulars of the style
(within reason). I, like most people who work on a wide range of
systems, have seen crystal-clear C++ and utterly opaque COBOL -- in
addition to the reverse. (Of course, I, like most programmers, write
programs with above-average clarity :-).
 
-- Bruce
 
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