Programming Language COBOL

Overview

COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) is one of the oldest high-level programming languages that was developed in the late 1950s. It was primarily designed for business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments. Despite its age, COBOL is still widely used today in legacy systems due to its stability and reliability.

Syntax

COBOL syntax is known for its verbosity and readability. It uses English-like language elements such as verbs, nouns, clauses, and sentences to make it easy for non-programmers to understand. Some key syntax features of COBOL include:

Here is a simple COBOL program that displays "Hello, World!":

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. HELLO-WORLD.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    DISPLAY 'Hello, World!'.
    STOP RUN.

Developer Toolchain

COBOL development typically requires specific tools and environments due to its legacy nature. Some popular COBOL development tools include:

In addition to these tools, COBOL developers often work with legacy systems, databases, and mainframes to maintain and modernize existing COBOL applications.