The word "COBOL" is an acronym for "Common Business Oriented Language." Its spelling can be explained with the IPA phonetic transcription. "KOH-buhl" is how it is pronounced. The "C" sound is represented by "K," while the "O" sound is short and pronounced as "oh." The emphasis is on the first syllable, "koh," which is followed by "buhl." Finally, the "L" is pronounced with a slight elongation, almost like a small "uh" sound, creating "KOH-buhl."
Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) is a high-level programming language that was designed primarily for businesses and financial applications. Introduced in 1959, COBOL has since become one of the most widely used programming languages in the world due to its simplicity and readability.
COBOL is characterized by its English-like syntax, making it easy for non-programmers to understand and read. It was specifically developed to meet the needs of business data processing, with a focus on large-scale, transaction-oriented applications. COBOL programs are structured around files containing records, and the language provides constructs for handling both sequential and random access to these files.
The main goal of COBOL is to facilitate the efficient processing of business data. It provides a wide range of built-in functionalities for handling arithmetic operations, string manipulation, date and time calculations, as well as data validation and formatting. COBOL also supports the concept of data division, which allows programmers to define the structure and layout of data records to be processed.
Due to its long-established existence and compatibility with legacy systems, COBOL is still widely used in various industries, particularly in government, finance, and banking sectors. While newer programming languages have emerged with more advanced features, the durability and reliability of COBOL ensure its continued use for maintaining legacy systems and supporting mission-critical applications.