{"by":"AndrewO","id":752706,"kids":[752823,752814,752819],"parent":752398,"text":"I've never met a COBOL programmer. The only times I've seen actual COBOL code have been examples to show how inscrutable it can be (like the example in the article). I haven't seen any open source software written in COBOL, although I'm sure there has to be something. Yet, I know COBOLers are out there.<p>Given the fact that COBOL refuses to die and not for lack of other options, I've always assumed there's something that kept these guys going. I used to think it was just hard-headedness (\"Haven't these guys heard of Python or Ruby or even like Java or .Net or something?!?!\"), but age and experience have lead me to believe that it probably has something to do with the size of the paycheck.<p>So I'd really like to know:<p>Do COBOLers have a community of any sort?<p>Where do they go for help?<p>Do they read HN or proggit (or do they have their own portals that only run on green screens)?<p>What keeps them going (and do they actually despise their language but just suck it up)?<p>Are they locked away in the dungeons of enterprise IT departments (or are they more like the wizards in a tower)?<p>Is there some sort of annual conference where they all meet and dance in front of a bonfire (lit from the heat of their mainframes) and sacrifice young virginal (pure? dynamic?) OO or functional languages to keep their own alive?","time":1249908250,"type":"comment"}