In article <[log in to unmask]>, Wayne R. Boyer
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>In a message dated 3/4/03 1:59:34 PM Pacific Standard Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
>> She added that COBOL was a dead language...
>
>I heard that in my Java class last semester... funny - the code still
>compiles and runs, people still use it.  And shockingly for the Java
>boosters, COBOL has lots of nifty features.  I was very good in class though.
> I didn't do any 'compare and contrast' stuff between languages.  I could
>have compared EVALUATE to it's enemic Java equivalent though - what was it?
>struct?  Actually I think that one could compare EVALUATE to the case
>structure of just about any other language and COBOL will win.

My brother-in-law has a 1950's auto that's done 500,000 miles, still
starts first time, and looks very pretty. Unfortunately due to the age
of the technology, it needs an oil change every 3000 miles, the brakes
are so poor it takes for ever to stop, corners like a pig, and costs an
arm and a leg when it needs spares or servicing, if you can find the
parts.  He can't understand why I wont take the risk of travelling 1500
miles through Europe preferring to use my three years old estate that I
know I can get repaired virtually anywhere if it breaks down.

Similarly having worked with 3GL languages such as Fortran, Cobol,
Pascal, and even Algol (who remembers that one), for longer than I care
to remember, I am very pleased now to have the advantages of being able
to design and implement systems and applications using modern Object-
Oriented design methodologies; to be able to rely on component software
from a wide variety of sources; to not have to be concerned about
proprietary platforms; to be able to easily employ the facilities
provided by web application servers like Tomcat, JBOSS, Orion, and
Websphere; to be able to use powerful GUI's like JBuilder and VisualAge;
and to be able easily to connect to a wide range of DBMS's using JDBC.
And all without concern for the target platform. In fact I feel really
spoilt for choice of reliable, supportable, cost-effective solutions,
thanks to Java - but not the proprietary version from Microsoft, nor the
very early slow, insecure, unstable, semi-obsolete version they tried
shipping with XP.

Several commentators in this thread have suggested that Java is dead.
Well someone had better tell IBM since most of their middleware has been
rewritten in Java which is why it runs on so many platforms and is so
successful.
--
Chris Thompson
The Internet Agency, UK
European Distributors for Advanced Networks Systems Inc.
 - Suppliers of ADBC, VPLUS+, ANSI Studio, Web/iX, MPE/iX Client
Distributors of CCS TRAX and CCS C-iX 'C' compiler for MPE
MPE and RTE migration & integration tools and services
IBM Development Partner
http://www.the-internet-agency.com
Email  [log in to unmask]

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