Re: COBOL to Java conversion

HansJ wrote:
We are in the business of migrating Unisys COBOL mainframe
applications to Unix.

A-series or ClearPath?

Recently we have seen requests to not only move to a different
platform, but also to change the language to be Java.
We don't need to discuss all the issues that come with a language
change, like maintainability, staff competence, etc. as this is a
different topic.

I know this goes against what you just said, but from my experience, I would caution against *any* language "roll" from one to another. When a system is coded, the low-level design usually draws upon the strengths and efficiencies of the language in which it is written. These do not transfer well from one language to another. Forget about the issues you mentioned - it's simply bad code.

Add to that some of the "bad" COBOL structures one encounters, especially on code that's old enough to vote, and it's simply a recipe for disaster.

I would be interested in knowing if anyone has seen a successful
project of this type that has a significant size.
A significant size would be more than one million lines of COBOL code.

I have seen a failed project of this type. :) But that's not what you asked, is it?

Personally, I would tell them something along the lines of this... "Moving to Java would take significant re-engineering of the existing system. (The data structures may also need to be converted to a relational database.) From our research and experience, trying to convert the system at the code level would be a high-risk endeavor, while re-engineering would not only increase your chances of being happy with our results, but may result in a more efficient system that will cost less to operate in the long run."

Of course, I'm not a marketing guy... I just know that, with my 9 years coding my previous system, and my 7 months being up to my eyeballs in Java, I have a pretty good idea of how I'd go about converting my last system to a Java web application. :) Not to say I could do it quickly, but I can see how the objects and services would break down.

I can assure you that, first off, hundreds-of-lines-long "edit" paragraphs would be a thing of the past. Reusable single-responsibility methods are great. But, you're not going to eliminate that stuff with a code roll.

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