The COBOL language is one of the oldest programming languages in use today. While some engineers predicted that this classic computer language would quickly disappear or become obsolete within a few decades, many older systems still rely heavily on COBOL.
According to Reuters, you can find 220 billion lines of code still in production. From many federal government agencies to your local bank, COBOL is still in use. An estimated 43% of banking systems and 95% of ATM swipes utilize COBOL code. Let’s take a look at the state of COBOL in 2020.
What is COBOL?
Developed in the late 1950s, COBOL is a programming language used primarily in major corporations and government industries. It was created by the Committee on Data Systems Languages, also known as CODASYL, a group of computer scientists and mainframe manufacturers. The Department of Defense had tasked CODASYL with designing a common business language for programming.
This “Common Business Oriented Language” came to be referred to as COBOL. The new language was inspired by computer engineer Grace Hopper’s FLOW-MATIC, Univac’s AIMACO and IBM’s COMTRAN.
Industries using COBOL
COBOL is most often found in companies such as:
- Banks and other financial institutions
- Insurance companies
- Transportation systems
- Government agencies
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Justice, Treasury Department, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration all have systems that rely in some part on COBOL. The code is used in mainframe operations and for processes such as inventory, payroll, and accounts receivable.
