Re: Article on new mainframe use

On Fri, 30 Aug 2024 14:28:17 GMT
scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) wrote:

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

On Thu, 29 Aug 2024 01:12:23 -0000 (UTC), John Levine wrote:
 

According to Lawrence D'Oliveiro  <ldo@nz.invalid>:
 

But then, COBOL was never quite IBM’s thing ... 

 
Uh, on what planet?  IBM has had COBOL on their mainframes since
the 705 III. 

>
Umm, three-digit IBM model numbers were vacuum-tube machines, not
transistorized. COBOL dates from the transistor era. 

 
As usual, you are incorrect.   The Univac I was a vacuum tube
machine (valves for the right-ponders) and was used for COBOL
development (via FLOW-MATIC) by Admiral Hopper (whom I met
at ACM '80).

FLOW-MATIC influenced COBOL, but it's not the same language as COBOL.
Which does not mean that COBOL was not implemented on IBM 705 m3.
Unlike majority of posters in this group, John tends to be correct about
facts.
It would not surprise me if COBOL compiler was implemented and tested on
7080 then, while still on 7080, ported to emulated 705 and then sold to
users of real 705.