Re: COBOL Compiler for Windows

On Thu, 1 May 2008 10:39:46 +1200, "Pete Dashwood"
<dashwood@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>Most people consider these factors to be unique to mainframes:
>
>1. Huge processing power.
>2. Stability and security.
>3. Traditional proven development methodology, perfect for batch
processing.
>
>To obtain these benefits, many sites are happy to pay the much higher
costs 
>of hardware/software and the sup****t teams necessary to keep them
running. 
>(They have been conditioned to over years by vendors, ever since the days

>when the mainframe was the only game in town.) But I think it is being 
>questioned now.

Costs will change.   Right now, there are times when big iron is more
cost effective, and times when it is less cost effective than
alternatives.

It is interesting that with the price of Oil going up, freight trains
are moving more goods (relative to trucks), than recently.   But the
balance will ****ft back and forth.   Notice though that our trains and
****ps do carry truck-trailers.    When we program such a package on
our computer, we slap a label on it, and don't care how it gets to its
destination.

The above factors you mentioned aren't absolutes - they are relative
characteristics.    What we choose will be based upon cost-benefit
analysis at a particular moment.   (Again - I won't be choosing the
back-end hardware.   I'm a programmer, the nuts and bolts won't matter
as long as the infrastructure is flexible enough to handle my
requests).