9 Min.

The 65-year-old computer system at the heart of American business Marketplace Tech

    • Technologie

The programming language known as COBOL turns 65 this year. We couldn’t help noticing that’s right around retirement age, but COBOL is nowhere near retirement. It remains a mainstay of IT operations at U.S. government agencies, businesses and financial institutions. Yet the programming language, which is older than the Beatles, is no longer taught at most universities. Glenn Fleishman is a freelance tech journalist who has written about this aging slab of digital infrastructure. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali asked him whether our continuing reliance on COBOL is a problem.

 

The programming language known as COBOL turns 65 this year. We couldn’t help noticing that’s right around retirement age, but COBOL is nowhere near retirement. It remains a mainstay of IT operations at U.S. government agencies, businesses and financial institutions. Yet the programming language, which is older than the Beatles, is no longer taught at most universities. Glenn Fleishman is a freelance tech journalist who has written about this aging slab of digital infrastructure. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali asked him whether our continuing reliance on COBOL is a problem.

 

9 Min.

Top‑Podcasts in Technologie

Digital Podcast
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF)
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
Apple Events (video)
Apple
Flugforensik - Abstürze und ihre Geschichte
Flugforensik
Acquired
Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
The Neuron: AI Explained
The Neuron

Mehr von American Public Media

In The Dark
The New Yorker
Make Me Smart
Marketplace
Marketplace
Marketplace
Forever Ago
American Public Media
Terrible, Thanks For Asking
Feelings & Co.
Historically Black
APM Reports & The Washington Post