Re: cobol code *****sment

apple.time@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:

> Thanks for your helpful reply!
> 
Well you could look at COBOL versus other languages as well.

I dont know what the alternetive is or what kind of files your COBOL 
system is using.  i.e. Database versus other file structures like keyed 
files.

Other problems might be the cost of a programmer in another language and 
  the number of people it would take to maintain some other kind of 
platform.  Going from a flat file system to a database system requires a 
lot more programmers and database administrators.

I work at a small college, so it is hard to consider everything involved 
in running a business level system.  Our requirements are different and 
our approaches vary.  We are half-way between a CICS system and a new 
Unidata DATABASE/with a UI front end by Datatel. A different approach 
can lead to better designed system but there is a significant cost to 
not to a major conversion, and a somewhat unclear cost involved in a 
missed op****tunity cost.  It takes a lot of specialized expertise to go 
through a conversion from a COBOL based system to some other kind of 
system.  Besides the technical problems there will be a difinite cost in 
extra work hours and getting user's to accept a new system.  It takes 
hours and hours of training of users, and development meetings with all 
the departmental staff or department representatives.  Departments can 
be uncooperative or specific operational requirements and business rules 
can slow things down.

Associated with COBOL may also be the cost of the licensing of the 
compiler and the associated platform it runs on.  There is hardware 
maintenance cost and an Operating system maintentenance cost and also 
specific software and compiler software costs.  These could all be part 
of a COBOL Evaluation.  They are the costs of doing business.  A lot 
also depends how old your equipment is and when the operating system 
will be going out of service and you will have to either buy new 
hardware or a new OS and whether it will work on your level of hardware. 
  We use rather low-level hardware but all this goes into a business 
decision.  Sometimes new hardware costs are because when you initially 
buy the software license it may come with 2 years of free maintanance.

We quit using IBM Mainframe hardware a few years ago.  We emulate our 
VSE/ESA IBM Mainframe with special emulation on and IBM X-Server.  We 
saved money, but we had to get a new Tape Drive System to back it up and 
the maintenence costs on that were also high but we needed it.

I dont know if this helps or not.