[SIGCIS-Members] Burt Grad on Hopper and CODASYL

Mon Oct 6 09:34:24 PDT 2014

[Relayed from Burt Grad]

As a practitioner, not a historian, I can't debate the details of the
creation of COBOL. But I joined Bob Bemer's group in IBM's Data Processing
Division in February, 1960 (Roy Goldfinger was part of that group). IBM had
designed COMTRAN as the counterpart of FORTRAN and planned to make the
language  available for use by any manufacturer or user company just as it
had with FORTRAN. The IBM people felt that COMTRAN was a consistent language
and was  superior to COBOL and continued to plan to implement COMTRAN
compilers  in 1960. But, as I recall, the pressure from DoD particularly was
too strong and  therefore IBM made a marketing decision to drop COMTRAN and
only support COBOL,  in spite of what IBM perceived as its deficiencies.

I was not privy to the debates within the CODASYL committee, only to what I
heard from Bob Bemer and Roy Goldfinger (and other members of Bemer's team),
about how the final decisions were made,,,but I had a strong impression that
the  other manufacturers (Univac, RCA, Honeywell and others) were not
willing to  have IBM be the "owner" of the commercial language as it was of
the scientific  language.

There is no doubt in my mind that Grace Hopper believed that COBOL  was
principally based on her work at Univac (she is quoted in many  interviews
to that effect including at least one on the Computer  History Museum
website) and, barring any forensic analysis that  provesd otherwise, I
expect that is as close to the truth as we will get now  that so many of the
CODASYL participants have died and probably have not left  detailed records
of the committee deliberations. 

Burt Grad
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<DIV>As a practitioner, not a historian, I can't debate the details=
of the=20 creation of COBOL. But I joined Bob Bemer's group in IBM's Data
Processing=
=20
Division in February, 1960 (Roy Goldfinger was part of that group). IBM ha=
d=20
designed COMTRAN as the counterpart of FORTRAN and planned to make the lan=
guage=20
available for use by any manufacturer or user company just as it had with=
=20
FORTRAN. The IBM people felt that COMTRAN was a consistent language and wa=
s=20
superior to COBOL and continued to plan to implement COMTRAN com=
pilers=20
in 1960. But, as I recall, the pressure from DoD particularly was too stro=
ng and=20 therefore IBM made a marketing decision to drop COMTRAN and only
support=
 COBOL,=20
in spite of what IBM perceived as its deficiencies.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I was not privy to the debates within the CODASYL committee, only to=
what I=20 heard from Bob Bemer and Roy Goldfinger (and other members of
Bemer's team=
),=20
about how the final decisions were made,,,but I had a strong impression th=
at the=20 other manufacturers (Univac, RCA, Honeywell and others) were
not will= ing to=20 have IBM be the "owner" of the commercial language as it
was of the scient=
ific=20
language.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is no doubt in my mind that Grace Hopper believed that COBOL=20
was principally based on her work at Univac (she is quoted in ma=
ny=20
interviews to that effect including at least one on the Computer=20
History Museum website) and, barring any forensic analysis that=
=20
provesd otherwise, I expect that is as close to the truth as we will get=
 now=20
that so many of the CODASYL participants have died and probably have not=
 left=20
detailed records of the committee deliberations. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Burt Grad </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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