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The latest revision of @INCITS/ @isostandards COBOL comes out this year
The goals of COBOL sound normal today:
- Portable
- Freely available
- Designed by the community
In 1959 it was radical & unprecedented
It was also conceived of & led by women
This is the story of COBOL
The goals of COBOL sound normal today:
- Portable
- Freely available
- Designed by the community
In 1959 it was radical & unprecedented
It was also conceived of & led by women
This is the story of COBOL
The year is 1959
Companies & governments have a problem
When they buy a computer from a new vendor, they must port their software to a new language, which is expensive
The number of these vendor languages is rapidly growing
Companies & governments have a problem
When they buy a computer from a new vendor, they must port their software to a new language, which is expensive
The number of these vendor languages is rapidly growing
Mary Hawes, programmer at Burroughs Corp, called for the creation of a new language - one that ran on different brands of computers
1959-05-08, @Penn: Grace Hopper organizes a meeting of users and manufacturers of computers to plan development of such a language
1959-05-08, @Penn: Grace Hopper organizes a meeting of users and manufacturers of computers to plan development of such a language
Grace Hopper wanted to avoid the "Tower of Babel" that would be caused by a growing number of similar languages such as FLOW-MATIC, COMTRAN, & AIMACO
But would competing manufacturers set aside differences and invest in a common language?
But would competing manufacturers set aside differences and invest in a common language?
"We couldn't work together and agree on anything because we were breaking antitrust laws. The only way we could all work together and not throw our companies into fits was under the jurisdiction of a university or the government"
- Grace Hopper
- Grace Hopper
Hopper, a retired US Navy Officer, reached out to the US Navy first
She was told they would be unable to support such an "ambitious endeavor"
But Charles Phillips at US Department of Defense was willing to bet on it
She was told they would be unable to support such an "ambitious endeavor"
But Charles Phillips at US Department of Defense was willing to bet on it
1959-05-28: 40 people from 7 gov't agencies, 11 user orgs, and 10 vendors gather at the Pentagon to begin work on a common business language (CBL)
"I don't think ever before or since have I seen in 1 room so much power to commit men and monies as I saw that day"
- Grace Hopper
"I don't think ever before or since have I seen in 1 room so much power to commit men and monies as I saw that day"
- Grace Hopper
They were known as the Committee on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL)
3 teams were formed; most important was the Short-Range Committee (SRC)
3 of the 9 initial members were:
Mary Hawes, data descriptions chair
Jean Sammet, procedural statements chair
Betty Holberton, editor
3 teams were formed; most important was the Short-Range Committee (SRC)
3 of the 9 initial members were:
Mary Hawes, data descriptions chair
Jean Sammet, procedural statements chair
Betty Holberton, editor
The SRC was tasked with analyzing existing languages and developing an initial specification for an "interim language"
The US Department of Defense gave them 3 months
Betty Holberton, an experienced language designer & compiler engineer, knew the deadline was nearly impossible
The US Department of Defense gave them 3 months
Betty Holberton, an experienced language designer & compiler engineer, knew the deadline was nearly impossible
Betty also knew that there was no such thing as an "interim language"; developing languages was too expensive
"In no way was this language going to be an interim solution. This language was it!"
60 years of later, I think we can say she was right
"In no way was this language going to be an interim solution. This language was it!"
60 years of later, I think we can say she was right
Given time constraints they couldn't start from scratch
They looked to prior art
FLOW-MATIC, from Hopper's team, which had been deployed & used
AIMACO was basically the Air Force's version of FLOW-MATIC
COMTRAN "existed at that time only as a manual produced by IBM"
They looked to prior art
FLOW-MATIC, from Hopper's team, which had been deployed & used
AIMACO was basically the Air Force's version of FLOW-MATIC
COMTRAN "existed at that time only as a manual produced by IBM"
So... they went in the direction of the one with field experience
Much of COBOL's DNA was taken from FLOW-MATIC
FLOW-MATIC's more memorable attributes include English words for commands & the separation of data descriptions & instructions
Much of COBOL's DNA was taken from FLOW-MATIC
FLOW-MATIC's more memorable attributes include English words for commands & the separation of data descriptions & instructions
Efforts to move from English words (FLOW-MATIC) to algebraic expressions (COMTRAN) were not received
Hopper wrote a "heated memorandum". She wanted a problem- & user-oriented language designed for business data-processing not mathematicians
The FLOW-MATIC syntax stayed
Hopper wrote a "heated memorandum". She wanted a problem- & user-oriented language designed for business data-processing not mathematicians
The FLOW-MATIC syntax stayed
1959-09-04: 3 months after the SRC was formed, an initial spec is delivered to Washington
By this time, the unrelenting efforts of Jean Sammet and the rest of the SRC had earned a nickname within the US Department of Defense:
"The P.D.Q. (Pretty Damn Quick) Group"
By this time, the unrelenting efforts of Jean Sammet and the rest of the SRC had earned a nickname within the US Department of Defense:
"The P.D.Q. (Pretty Damn Quick) Group"
The CODASYL executive committee thought the initial draft was pretty rough
They gave the SRC until December to clean it up
They also gave it a name: Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL)
They gave the SRC until December to clean it up
They also gave it a name: Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL)
By the time, interest was growing, which brought controversy and drama to CODASYL
In the fall of 1959, the Intermediate Range Committee (one of the other two teams), received copies of the FACT language
They were so impressed they passed a resolution to base COBOL on it
In the fall of 1959, the Intermediate Range Committee (one of the other two teams), received copies of the FACT language
They were so impressed they passed a resolution to base COBOL on it
This was a huge blow to the SRC who were developing FLOW-MATIC based COBOL
Jean Sammet admitted in some ways FACT was technically superior
But, FACT had some problems:
- It wasn't designed to portable
- There was no implementation
- It was not designed by consensus
Jean Sammet admitted in some ways FACT was technically superior
But, FACT had some problems:
- It wasn't designed to portable
- There was no implementation
- It was not designed by consensus
In the end, the IRC's decision was overturned
In October, the SRC, which had grown quite large and had lost agility, appointed a group of six people to finish the spec
This group included Jean Sammet and Gertrude Tierney
In October, the SRC, which had grown quite large and had lost agility, appointed a group of six people to finish the spec
This group included Jean Sammet and Gertrude Tierney
There was other drama
Howard Bromberg, from RCA & an SRC member, grew so frustrated that he sent a tombstone with "COBOL" on it to Philips
"Obviously someone did not wish COBOL well & was kindly providing the chair with a marker for the grave"
- Charles Philips, CODASYL chair
Howard Bromberg, from RCA & an SRC member, grew so frustrated that he sent a tombstone with "COBOL" on it to Philips
"Obviously someone did not wish COBOL well & was kindly providing the chair with a marker for the grave"
- Charles Philips, CODASYL chair
1960-01-07: The CODASYL executive committee accepts the COBOL draft from the SRC for publication
A final editing committee consisting of Betty Holberton and Joseph Wegstein was appointed; Betty did all of the work
This was COBOL 60: the first portable language
A final editing committee consisting of Betty Holberton and Joseph Wegstein was appointed; Betty did all of the work
This was COBOL 60: the first portable language
But would it work? And would the industry adopt it?
At 1st, only RCA and Remington-Rand UNIVAC implemented COBOL
1960-08-17: First COBOL program runs on an RCA 501
1960-12-06/7: The same COBOL program runs on an RCA and a UNIVAC, demonstrating that portability worked!
At 1st, only RCA and Remington-Rand UNIVAC implemented COBOL
1960-08-17: First COBOL program runs on an RCA 501
1960-12-06/7: The same COBOL program runs on an RCA and a UNIVAC, demonstrating that portability worked!
Vendors, even those like IBM who were initially hesitant, came around to COBOL
The "interim language" spread like wildfire, despite the warnings of its critics
It became one of the most widely used languages
The "interim language" spread like wildfire, despite the warnings of its critics
It became one of the most widely used languages
Even before the first COBOL program ran, work began on COBOL 61, the next revision
Many more followed
1962: CODASYL starts a joint effort with @ansidotorg and @isostandards to create a COBOL International Standard
Many more followed
1962: CODASYL starts a joint effort with @ansidotorg and @isostandards to create a COBOL International Standard
1968: @isostandards IS 1989:1978, the International Standard for COBOL, is published
It was the first ISO programming language standard
It was revised in:
1985
2002
2014
2020
I had the good fortune to vote in favor of COBOL 2020 for @nvidia
It was the first ISO programming language standard
It was revised in:
1985
2002
2014
2020
I had the good fortune to vote in favor of COBOL 2020 for @nvidia
COBOL was born before the open source era, but it embodied the ideals of open source
Anyone could propose changes to COBOL - just mail your proposal to Pennsylvania
You could sign up for notifications about the latest COBOL developments by mailing a form to the US government
You could sign up for notifications about the latest COBOL developments by mailing a form to the US government
COBOL, the 1st portable language, was developed by collaboration of users & vendors in a few months in 1959, led by a group of female engineers
It was meant as an interim solution. It became one of most popular languages
60 years later, it still powers critical infrastructure
It was meant as an interim solution. It became one of most popular languages
60 years later, it still powers critical infrastructure
Sources:
Recollections on the Early Days of COBOL and CODASYL (IEEE)
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4640599
Recollections on the Early Days of COBOL and CODASYL (IEEE)
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4640599
CODASYL COBOL Journal of Development 1986 (US National Bureau of Standards)
http://archive.org/details/codasylcoboljour00conf/page/n7/mode/2up
http://archive.org/details/codasylcoboljour00conf/page/n7/mode/2up
Pioneering Women in Computer Science (ACM, Denise Gürer)
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/543812.543853
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/543812.543853
Proposing COBOL (National Museum of American History) https://americanhistory.si.edu/cobol/proposing-cobol
First Draft of the Programming Language COBOL (National Museum of American History) https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1389377
Brief Summary of an Early History of COBOL (IEEE, Jean Sammet)
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4640598
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4640598
Early History of COBOL (Jean Sammet)
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/960118.808378
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/960118.808378
The Real Creators of COBOL (Jean Sammet)
https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/so/2000/02/s2030/13rRUy2YLWb
https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/so/2000/02/s2030/13rRUy2YLWb
Jean Sammet Memoriam (NY Times, Steve Lohr, Ben Shneiderman) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/04/technology/obituary-jean-sammet-software-designer-cobol.html
Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age (Kurt Beyer)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TQ4MY9Q
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TQ4MY9Q
The Story of the COBOL Tombstone (Howard Bromberg)
http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/TCMR-V13.pdf
http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/TCMR-V13.pdf
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