Re: [PLUG] [plug-announce] Mon, Nov 21, 2016: "Secrets of the Dead: What Modern Programmers Can Learn from COBOL" by Walt Mankowski (7pm at ATS in Malvern)

[Walt Mankowski <waltman@pobox.com>]

In case anyone is wondering, this will be the same talk I gave over
the summer at FOSSCON.  I also gave a shorter version of the talk at
this year's YAPC and at a PHL.pm meeting, but this new version is
longer and (hopefully) better.

On Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 12:40:01PM -0500, Paul L. Snyder wrote:
> The Philadelphia Area Linux Users Group (PLUG) cordially invites you
> to a PLUG West meeting on Monday, November 21 at ATS in Malvern, PA
> from 7-9 pm.
> 
> This month, PLUG West welcomes back Dr. Walt Mankowski, who will be
> giving a talk entitled "Secrets of the Dead: What Modern Programmers
> Can Learn from COBOL". Walt's description of the talk:
>     
>   COBOL is the Rodney Dangerfield of the programming world â?? it
>   doesnâ??t get any respect. COBOL is routinely denigrated for its
>   verbosity and dismissed as archaic, and for good reason: COBOL
>   bears little to no resemblance to modern programming languages.
>   Yet COBOL is far from a dead language. COBOL processes an
>   estimated 85% of all business transactions, and 5 billion new
>   lines of COBOL are written every year.
> 
>   I spent 10 years as a COBOL developer and saw first-hand the
>   good and the bad of the language. Many of its criticisms are
>   valid, and most PLUG attendees would probably be appalled at
>   COBOLâ??s syntax. But as COBOL approaches its 7th decade of
>   active use, itâ??s worth remembering that there are a few things
>   that COBOL got spectacularly right, particularly in its primary
>   niche in mainframe business programming. These include:
> 
>     * Separation of code, presentation, and operating environment
>     * Datatypes to handle decimal currency amounts
>     * Reading and writing fixed-length records
> 
>   And that appalling syntax is simple enough that even
>   non-programmers can learn the basics in a few hours.
> 
>   Attendees will come away with old techniques they can apply to
>   their new systems, and a new-found respect for their elders.
> 
> Interested in Linux, BSD, and Free Software? Whether you're already an
> enthusiast or want to learn more, come and join us! PLUG meetings are
> free and open to everyone, and anyone who is curious is invited to
> attend.
> 
> The meeting will be at the ATS office in Malvern, PA:
> 
>   ATS Group & IBM Innovation Center
>   1200 Atwater Drive, Suite 170
>   Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
> 
> For driving directions, please visit
> 
>   http://www.phillylinux.org/locations/ats.html
> 
> For more information about PLUG, please visit our website at
> 
>   http://www.phillylinux.org
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Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
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