COBOL Code Bases Continue to Grow, on Tier 1 Application Tinkering

Do not go light into that good night…

COBOL, the programming language extensively employed to run Tier one/mission-important purposes on mainframe computers – and popularly thought of in some fashionable younger corners to be a relic of the dark ages – is essentially in rude good health and fitness.

Which is in accordance to a new study by Micro Concentration currently, which finds that after more than sixty decades in the production natural environment, COBOL code bases are – possibly startlingly to some – continuing to increase, as firms modernise purposes.

In short, if COBOL ended up a human being it would now be holding a Liberty Go – but creating more use of it than many predicted. (“Do not go light into that good night”)

COBOL Applications Regular 9.9 Million Lines… 

The regular COBOL code base,now operates to 9.9 million strains, as opposed to eight.four million in 2017 – reflecting ongoing financial commitment, re-use and growth in core business programs by individuals operating purposes penned in the language, Micro Concentration observed.

Describing it as a “dependable resolution that will continue on to increase and thrive”, Chris Livesey, Micro Focus’s senior VP of software modernisation and connectivity explained: “Thanks to the authentic design’s readability, adaptability and portability, COBOL adds remarkable benefit for organizations as a trusted resolution.”

(The study further more observed that 70 percent of enterprises anticipate to modernise existing purposes as element of their strategic improve programmes, fairly than retiring them, whilst 63 percent explained that they will be increasing existing COBOL programs in 2020.)

So what do individuals modernising purposes penned in/around COBOL have to have to be particularly informed of? Laptop or computer Business enterprise Evaluate requested the experts…

Modernising Your COBOL Applications

Thilo Rockmann, Chairman and COO, Switzerland’s LzLabs, instructed us on a call: “The important detail is that the new natural environment, wherever that sits, integrates neatly into the advancement chain of whichever you are heading to develop…”

“If there are breaks from an enterprise standpoint concerning what you are heading to build in one particular region and [how that combines with] a distinct advancement chain, or advancement procedure, you will constantly have friction.

“This is one particular of the regions wherever firms usually have troubles, as if you want to manage COBOL purposes operating on a mainframe that comply with a distinct cycle to your Java, Python, advancement, that can cause issues.”

See also: Swisscom Dumps Mainframes for Private Cloud – Cuts IT Fees sixty{ae9868201ea352e02dded42c9f03788806ac4deebecf3e725332939dc9b357ad}

He extra: “The solution desires to be as incremental as possible.

“The language itself is a lot less of an concern. A extensive time back I had to manage some COBOL code and it wasn’t that tricky, irrespective of my generally (previously) employing C++ and Java.

“What is significant for developers is the capacity to examination the new code that you wrote around the mainframe, and examination it in the natural environment wherever your developers sit, and not need specific hours [time slots] to do it on the mainframe.

“[Alterations are normally required to] run your mainframe more proficiently: if you run it inefficiently you are heading to spend a lot more: large mainframe purposes use a lot of CPU time…”

Keith Banham, mainframe R&D manager at Macro four, extra: “Modernising mainframe purposes can contain a range of distinct possibilities. Enterprises shouldn’t automatically go down the route of rewriting code or re-platforming with out establishing an in general system that takes account a quantity of distinct factors.”

“Cost is of course an significant thing to consider.

“The assumption is that mainframe pricing is significant relative to other platforms – so many organisations want to transfer as much as possible off the mainframe to decrease MIPS intake. Nevertheless, IBM has introduced new pricing possibilities you should think about. Now, if you are operating new workloads, you can use the new Tailor-made In shape Pricing, which is less difficult, commonly more value successful and closer to the Cloud/SaaS intake model. So, do not presume – do your sums and see if it is well worth the transfer.”

Ultimately, of course, business leaders have to have to weigh up the challenges of re-writing code as opposed to the challenges of a long term lack of mainframe abilities weighing them up against the challenges of business interruption posed by a major migration off mainframes.

Succession scheduling also has to be taken into account. Mainly because there’s a complete lot of COBOL code out there and it evidently isn’t wafting off the cloud whenever before long.

See also: MIPS Go Mad: IBM Hits “Historical” Mainframe Highs