COBOL for the 21st Century

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 832 pages
• Published by: Wiley
• Edition: 11th Edition August 5, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0471722618
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0471722618
• Book Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 3.8 pounds

Book Description
COBOL . . . Still standing tall.


Just like the evergreen, the COBOL programming language has remained vibrant and full of life year after year. Today, COBOL is running a large number of the world's business data applications, and it's likely to remain a viable language in the years ahead.


Now in its 11th Edition, Nancy Stern, Robert Stern, and James Ley's COBOL for the 21st Century continues to show how to design COBOL programs that are easy to read, debug, modify, and maintain. You'll learn to write interactive programs as well as batch programs with sophisticated file processing techniques, and become familiar with valuable information processing and systems concepts.

Features
* Updated to reflect COBOL 2008, where appropriate.
* A chapter on the Report Writer Module.
* More end-of-chapter questions.
* A running case study builds on what you have learned in each chapter.
* Integrated coverage of interactive programming.
* Covers information processing and systems concepts that will help you interact with users and systems analysts when designing programs.
* Introduces programming tools such as pseudocode and hierarchy charts that make program logic more structured, modular, and top-down.
* Presents useful techniques for maintaining and modifying older "legacy" programs.
* Effective learning tools, including chapter outlines and objectives, debugging tips and exercises, critical-thinking questions, and programming assignments.
* Links to COBOL Internet resources.
* Companion Website (www.wiley.com/college/stern), featuring a syntax reference guide, data sets for all programming assignments, and all programs illustrated in the book.

Back Cover Copy
COBOL . . . Still standing tall.

Just like the evergreen, the COBOL programming language has remained vibrant and full of life year after year. Today, COBOL is running a large number of the world’s business data applications, and it’s likely to remain a viable language in the years ahead.

Now in its 11th Edition, Nancy Stern, Robert Stern, and James Ley’s COBOL for the 21st Century continues to show how to design COBOL programs that are easy to read, debug, modify, and maintain. You’ll learn to write interactive programs as well as batch programs with sophisticated file processing techniques, and become familiar with valuable information processing and systems concepts.

FEATURES

• Updated to reflect COBOL 2008, where appropriate.
• A chapter on the Report Writer Module.
• More end-of-chapter questions.
• A running case study builds on what you have learned in each chapter.
• Integrated coverage of interactive programming.
• Covers information processing and systems concepts that will help you interact with users and systems analysts when designing programs.
• Introduces programming tools such as pseudocode and hierarchy charts that make program logic more structured, modular, and top-down.
• Presents useful techniques for maintaining and modifying older "legacy" programs.
• Effective learning tools, including chapter outlines and objectives, debugging tips and exercises, critical-thinking questions, and programming assignments.
• Links to COBOL Internet resources.
• Companion Website (www.wiley.com/college/stern), featuring a syntax reference guide, data sets for all programming assignments, and all programs illustrated in the book.

Reader Reviews
There is a somewhat defensive tinge to this book. The authors take pains to point out that Cobol is still widely used in business. Though you could hardly discern this if you glanced across a range of new computer books. This text explains thoroughly Cobol. Plus background on the continued demand for it. It certainly shows its vintage. A procedural-based language because when it was first devised, object oriented concepts were unknown or unappreciated. The book goes into how a significant portion of the Cobol usage nowadays is to maintain and perhaps extend legacy code. This does have the advantage of less competition from other programmers, if you choose to go into this field. Comment | | (Report this)