jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R Carbin) (11/15/83)
If we must have a COBOL version of PRINT "MERRY CHRISTMAS," let's at least
make it structured...... Here is one version of such a program.
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. MERRY-XMAS.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SOURCE-COMPUTER. VAX11.
OBJECT-COMPUTER. VAX11.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
77 COUNTER-FOR-LOOP PICTURE 9(2) COMPUTATIONAL.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
PRINT-CONTROL-LOOP.
PERFORM PRINT-IT VARYING COUNTER-FOR-LOOP
FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL COUNTER-FOR-LOOP > 15
STOP RUN.
PRINT-IT.
DISPLAY "MERRY CHRISTMAS".
Of course this code is *NOT* properly commented nor necessarily well written.
Isn't this an absurd number of lines of code just to accomplish such a simple
task?
p.s. C is my most favorite programming language and PASAL my second.
p.p.s. I am a charter member of the Society to Help Stamp Out BASIC!
as ever,
j.r. {allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jrcbprice@bmcg.UUCP (11/17/83)
Path: bmcg!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!harpo!seismo!rochester!ritcv!jrc From: jrc@ritcv.UUCP >If we must have a COBOL version of PRINT "MERRY CHRISTMAS," let's at least >make it structured...... Here is one version of such a program. --The lower-case is my modifications to the original to make it shorter and representative of COBOL usage (as I [mis?]understand it). IDENTIFICATION DIVISION. PROGRAM-ID. MERRY-XMAS. ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. CONFIGURATION SECTION. SOURCE-COMPUTER. VAX11. OBJECT-COMPUTER. VAX11. PROCEDURE DIVISION. PRINT-CONTROL-LOOP. PERFORM PRINT-IT 15 times. STOP RUN. PRINT-IT. DISPLAY "MERRY CHRISTMAS". >Of course this code is *NOT* properly commented nor necessarily well written. >Isn't this an absurd number of lines of code just to accomplish such a simple >task? --Yes, it is. COBOL is definitely not a language for short programs by amateurs. COBOL is, however, a powerful language within its own scope. The fact of its continued use, as the most popular of all programming languages, says a lot about it. (I can't give a source, but I have heard that more programs have been written in COBOL than in all other languages combined; and further, except for the COBOL programs, the same is true for FORTRAN!) It must be that there is something very good, in some sense, about COBOL! -- --Bill Price uucp: {decvax!ucbvax philabs}!sdcsvax!bmcg!bprice arpa:? sdcsvax!bmcg!bprice@nosc
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (11/22/83)
FORTRAN and COBOL have been around for over 20 years. This implies that (a) there have been 20 years for programs to be written, and (b) there are a lot of people out there that know only COBOL or only FORTRAN and therefore program exclusively in that language. Consider also that IBM has supported both languages very well for the whole 20 years. Finally, consider that until recently, computers were too expensive for mere people to buy, and while some companies need scientific computers or special purposes computers or develop software, nearly every large company 20 years ago needed a computer to print paychecks, do inventory, and so on. And of course these programs were all written in COBOL since they are traditional COBOL applications (business oriented, I/O bound programs with little or no computation). Thus, it should be no surprise that there have been some incredible number of FORTRAN and COBOL programs written. Probably today someone can claim BASIC has the most programs, but this doesn't mean anything except that lots of home computers have been sold.
henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (11/23/83)
Bill Price says (of Cobol): "The fact of its continued use, as the most
popular of all programming languages, says a lot about it."
Yup. Says that it's popular. Period. Not that it's good, or well-
designed, or pleasant to use, or cost-effective compared with the
alternatives. Just popular.
(People who think popularity implies quality are invited to contemplate
the specs and sales figures for the VT100. Or the 8080.)
--
Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry