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100 Years of Grace Hopper

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the beautiful-jumping dept.

theodp writes "Grab your COBOL Coding Forms and head on over to comp.lang.cobol, kids! Yesterday was Grace Hopper's 100th birthday, and many are still singing the praises of her Common Business-Oriented Language."

11 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. Women by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It figures. One of the wordiest (is that a word?) programming languages was invented by a woman. Talk talk talk. :-)

    I couldn't resist.

    1. Re:Women by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      She makes sure that men now hates period (dot) as well.

  2. Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to you! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Even though you died in 1992, Happy Birthday to You!

  3. The only way... by camperdave · · Score: 3, Funny

    The only way I could code my way out of a wet paper bag in COBOL would be if my life depended on it (and I had a few COBOL programming texts in the bag with me). All I remember about COBOL is that it is long winded... as per its alternate acronym expansion: Considered Obsolete Because Of Length.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  4. My name is Eric Hopper by Omnifarious · · Score: 2, Funny

    And while I'm sadly not related (or perhaps just not very closely related) to Grace Hopper, it's still neat that someone else with that somewhat unusual last name is in computing. :-)

    I have a point system for what people think of when I mention my last name:

    • Dennis Hopper: Not that I dislike Dennis Hopper or anything, but mentioning a famous contemporary actor is just too easy and makes me think the person is likely someone who gets way more from pop-culture than they should. -1 point
    • Edward Hopper: Oooh, mildly obscure (as compared to, say, Leonarda da Vinci) painter who painted urban scenes from the 30s and 40s. Interesting. +1 point.
    • Grace Hopper: Found the first recorded real bug in computing. Inventor of the concept of a high-level language, responsible for COBOL, first woman admiral in the Navy... Wow! +50 points
    • Hopper: The grasshopper from Bug's life. No point value, but it does earn a very strange look.
    --
    Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
    1. Re:My name is Eric Hopper by PsyQo · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes dad, that's cool and all, but there are also loads of people making fun of our name.

      Greetings,
      - Hip

  5. Re:Kids: Learn COBOL, stay employed by camperdave · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nonsense! Cobol is machine independent and self-documenting, and it is still around because it is a very fit, if not the fittest, language for business purposes. Besides It would likely be far easier to pull together a COBOL compiler than to rewrite, test, debug, (document, don't forget document) and release any application that was written in COBOL.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  6. Ahhhhhh yess... by Bananatree3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    the art of COBOL, and what an art it is. I am sorry no young grasshoppers have taken up this valuable language.

  7. COBOL = by larien · · Score: 2, Funny
    Completely Obsolete Business Oriented Language...

    That said, I work in a company which still runs a lot of COBOL code - a bank, funnily enough. I think banks are about the only people still using code written in the 70s *sigh*

  8. Learn novice: be one with the Tao by symbolset · · Score: 2, Funny
    From the Tao of Programming: http://www.canonical.org/~kragen/tao-of-programmin g.html
    Each language has its purpose, however humble. Each language expresses the Yin and Yang of software. Each language has its place within the Tao.

    But do not program in COBOL if you can avoid it.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
  9. Re:Transcending the Matrix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Before calling anyone a foe, watch his comment history and moderation. This "Anonymous Coward" guy, for example, is a very active troll and OT poster even if he shows some occasional insight. He also suffers from severe multiple personality disorder.