This COBOL discussion feels like deja vu. :-) As a reminder, I am not speaking for IBM.
There have been and are lots of discussions about future COBOL innovations, both within IBM and with our customers. One of the big ones is how (and consequently when) to get to 64-bit. I have my own (strong) views on that question, which I express as often as I can. (And I know I'm right. :-)) But, in all seriousness, there is a rather complex set of factors that have to be considered on how, and ultimately the relevant voices are customers'. They decide the "right" answer. So, I'll say it again: tell IBM what you want and how you want it -- and what you value most. In particular, there is a tension between innovation and potential risk. Do you want zero or near-zero risk? Well, then, maybe IBM shouldn't be so aggressive in innovating. (I'm oversimplifying, but that's the idea.) Said another way, COBOL (and PL/I) really do run the mission-critical world, while some of these other languages don't. :-) Now, I happen to think my recommended approach perfectly combines maximum innovation with zero or near-zero risk. (I have a "have your cake and eat it too" idea.) But I don't get to decide these things. You do, subject to the technical constraints of course. So please speak up, through the proper channels. Much appreciated. Thanks. - - - - - Timothy Sipples IBM Consulting Enterprise Software Architect Based in Tokyo, Serving IBM Japan / Asia-Pacific E-Mail: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
