
Ask HN: Is any of the big COBOL codebases open source? - wkoszek
I read Increment.com article on COBOL and I&#x27;m wondering if there are any COBOL codebases that are (a) used (b) open source. I wanted to see how ugly it can get inside.
======
PaulHoule
COBOL is a pretty good fit for the domain that it serves, so serious COBOL
cases are not that bad.

If you use COBOL you will get decimal numbers suitable for financial work. If
you use Java or Python and take the defaults you will someday cut a check to
somebody for the wrong amount. There are decimal math objects for Java and
Python but they add to the "bloat" of the code and the complaint that it is
"ugly".

On a mainframe the ordinary numbers on COBOL are good for business and they
are supported in hardware.

