Computing Atlas

How Computing Was Built
Languages

COBOL

Also Known As Common Business Oriented Language

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COBOL, from Common Business Oriented Language, is a programming language designed for business data processing, first specified in 1959 by a committee convened under the US Department of Defense called CODASYL. Its design drew heavily on FLOW MATIC, an earlier English like language developed by Grace Hopper's team, and Hopper was an influential advocate throughout COBOL's development for making business programs readable by non programmers and portable across different computers. Despite predictions of its retirement for decades, COBOL code still runs a large share of the world's banking, insurance and government payroll systems.

Facts
First Released
1959 1
Paradigm
Imperative, procedural 1
Significance
The dominant language of business data processing for decades, still running much of the world's banking and government infrastructure. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

In Field

Influenced By

Grace Hopper, Pioneers

COBOL was designed by a CODASYL committee, not by Hopper alone, but its design drew heavily on her earlier FLOW MATIC language and she was an influential advocate throughout its development.

Sources
1. The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
Walter Isaacson, Simon and Schuster, 2014
Wikipedia: COBOL
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Quote, Lead section
COBOL is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use.
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