Java Apps Have the Most Flaws, Cobol the Least

dcblogs writes "An analysis of 745 applications for violations of good architectural and coding practices found that Java applications had the most problems and Cobol-built systems, the least. Some 365 million lines of code were analyzed by Cast Software to assess 'technical debt,' or the cost to fix the violations. Java was calculated at $5.42 per line of code, while Cobol did best at $1.26. Cobol code had the least number of violations because programmers 'have been beating on it for 30 years,' said Cast. As far as Java goes, 'there are many people going into Java now that really don't have strong computer science backgrounds,' said its chief scientist, Bill Curtis."

Cobol programmers "beating on it for 30 years"

[Anonymous Coward]

So... masturbation makes you a better programmer? That explains a lot about guys living in their moms' basements.

Re:Java == Training Wheels

[masternerdguy]

Operating systems are also training wheels since they provide a layer between the hardware and the programmer. Not to mention the user, so many people just use computers without learning how to code in that machine's unique punch card based assembly language. I say why have operating systems at all.

Re:so?

[laejoh]

COBOL is written ALL CAPS. That's why it's more stable. The characters don't fall down so easily when they are ALL CAPS. Java has to many funny characters like { and }. They have no stable base and tilt over to easily. Compare { with PERFORM and } with END-PERFORM and you know enough!

Re:SQL too

[toadlife]

SQL injections typically affect php apps, and php has syntax somewhat similar to java. Therefore the GP's theory remains solid footing.

Re:COBOL

[NonUniqueNickname]

Old COBOL Fart, we who are about to scrum salute you!

Re:Java == Training Wheels

[Unequivocal]

Yeah totally!! I hate that my car shifts automatically, has power locks, power steering, digital tuning on the radio and anti-lock brakes. And that freaking airbag is totally annoying, waiting to go off at ANY time. Get me back to my old 61 ford falcon with a metal steering wheel and no synchros on the gear box. Those were the days when real men drove real cars.

Re:so?

[luis_a_espinal]

Like it really even matters TO ME IN MY BASEMENTanyway.

There. Fixed that for'cha.

COBOL sucks.

Be that as it may, it does the job, and that's all that really matters.

End of discussion.

Oooooooooooooooooo </hands waving in macabre fashion>

Re:SQL too

[tbannist]

Well, I have never even seen any vulnerable Cobol web applications, have you? There are probably millions of vulnerable PHP applications.

And I'll have none of your crypto-fascist "percentage" nonsense. We only deal in hard FACTS. The kind that use only capital letters. Although, it is true that PHP is more secure than Java by deisgn. Since PHP has 3 capital letters and is symmetrical, although they should probably change it's name to BHB for true symmetrical redundancy.

Re:Cobol is still being used?

[TheRaven64]

People also mock Fortran, yet it still rocks and has been updated to include many 'modern' features

Fortran doesn't get updated. Every decade or so a new and totally incompatible language is released and called Fortran.

Re:so?

[sycodon]

No everyone thinks it's a good thing to write a entire program in one huge line:

import sys,os,re,fileinput;a=[i[2] for i in os.walk('.') if i[2]] [0];[sys.stdout.write(re.sub('at','op',j)) for j in fileinput.input(a,inplace=1)]

Now, that's what I call maintainable!...cough.

Re:so?

[Adrian Lopez]

Java has to many funny characters...

One of your o's fell off, which proves your point.

Re:so?

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

Yes, its difficult to keep up with the suicide rate.

The Lords of Cobol be Praised

[CAIMLAS]

This is pretty obvious as to "why".

Java: mostly written by inexperienced undergraduates and Indians with only a couple months of experience.

Cobol: mostly written by the (relatively speaking) Gods of Computing, in a better age.

So say we all.