Although there are now a number of programming languages for every type of machine, in the early days of computer science, things were different. A language that would address these early machines that were the ancestors of today's computers. This language was released in September 1959 and was called COBOL.
The basic idea for this programming language was adopted by Mary Hawes. She was a programmer at Burroughs Corporation who saw the need for a language for computers. In March 1959, Hawes proposed creating a new programming that would have an English-speaking vocabulary that could be used on a variety of computers to perform basic business tasks.
Hawes spoke to Grace Hopper and others about creating a neutral, interoperable computer language. Hopper suggested that they approach the Department of Defense (DoD) for funding, but also as a potential customer for the anonymous language.
Business information technology experts agreed, and in May 1959, 41 computer users and manufacturers met at the Pentagon. There, they formed the Short Range Committee of the Conference on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL).
Based on earlier business programming languages, such as UNIVAC's FLOW-MATIC, which was primarily the work of Grace Hopper and IBM, the committee determined that the COBOL language should be in English.
But even with the support of the DoD, IBM, and UNIVAC, COBOL's future was unclear. Honeywell proposed its own language, FACT, as the programming language for the enterprise of the future. For a short time, it seemed that FACT was preferable, but the hardware of the time could not support FACT. Thus, COBOL once again took the lead.
In December 1960, programs were proven to be truly interoperable, running on computers from two different vendors. COBOL was on its way to becoming the first truly commercial programming language. It continued to be the preferred programming language for businesses well into the 1980s. And it continues to be.
In 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration, among others, were still using COBOL. Today, 90% of Fortune 500 companies still use COBOL to some degree. And if you’ve withdrawn cash from an ATM recently, it’s almost certain that COBOL was behind it.
Today, COBOL is maintained and operated by Micro Focus. In an interview, Derek Britton, Micro Focus' marketing director, stated that COBOL is still widely used in the financial sector.
So while COBOL is nearing retirement age, the language itself is still far from being retired.
