The Coding Language Caught in DOGE's Crosshairs

@clive speaks to Brooke Gladstone about #COBOL and manages to touch upon the gendered roles of coding and tag #GraceHopper and #FlowMatic on his way to explaining why “modernizing” old code on this scale cannot be done in a few months, why old code works well, and why #AI won’t necessarily help them do it well. #OnTheMedia

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/articles/the-coding-language-caught-in-doges-crosshairs

Porting COBOL Code and the Trouble With Ditching Domain Specific Languages - Whenever the topic is raised in popular media about porting a codebase written in ... - https://hackaday.com/2025/04/16/porting-cobol-code-and-the-trouble-with-ditching-domain-specific-languages/ #softwaredevelopment #featured #interest #gnucobol #fortran #cobol

Mind blown. You can run IBM #zos on a PC with a personal edition license.

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zdt/14.2.x?topic=personal-edition

And it has IBM #COBOL inside it. I don't understand why this was so hard for me to find. Looks like I need a new machine (linux host, 1tb drive space and then enough oomph to run a VM)

The #IBMZDay schedule for April 8th is now up! https://community.ibm.com/zsystems/events/ibm-z-day-2025-se/

I worked on the Developer Journey which takes you through everything from technical sessions related to the latest #mainframe hardware to direct application of both open source and proprietary tooling that can help you develop code more effectively, and even a session around getting that #COBOL 6 compiler upgrade done (it has some really cool features)

The event is virtual and free, reg: https://ibm.biz/ibmzday2025-se

https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/Trump-verhaengt-Zoelle-gegen-unbewohnte-Inseln-nahe-der-Antarktis-article25676968.html

Auf den Kopf greif

Ungeprüft die Angaben von #Musk AI übernommen.

Na das kann ja lustig werden, wenn die das cobol Programm so umschreiben...

Ich kann noch #cobol. Noch wer ?

#trump #zukunft #amerika

Bei dem Gesichtsausdruck der da öfters zeigt, befürchte ich, das Dummheit immer öfters Schmerzen bereitet

Am I the only one who's thinking of learning #COBOL just to see whether the idea of replacing the US Social Security codebase is *exactly* as delusional as I think or whether it is far more delusional than that?

https://gizmodo.com/doge-plans-to-rewrite-entire-social-security-codebase-in-just-a-few-months-report-2000582062

»DOGE nimmt sich offenbar COBOL bei US-Sozialkasse vor – Experten warnen:
Die US-Behörde für Bürokratieabbau will eine elementare Programmiersprache in kürzester Zeit ersetzen. Das weckt Befürchtungen.«

Wenn es dieswegen in der USA zu "Sicherheitslücken" in der IT kommen könnte?!?? Klar soll Code immer wieder aktualisiert werden, geschieht aber allgemein selten aber so sicherlich nicht.

https://www.heise.de/news/DOGE-will-offenbar-COBOL-bei-US-Sozialkasse-ersetzen-innerhalb-von-Monaten-10333616.html

What could possibly go wrong? #DOGE to rapidly rebuild #SocialSecurity #codebase.

Under any circumstances, a migration of this size and scale would be a massive undertaking, experts tell WIRED, but the expedited deadline runs the risk of obstructing payments to the more than 65 million people in the US currently receiving Social Security benefits.
#cobol #ssa #takeover #retirement #takedown #maga #trump

> sadly, most likely crash and burn

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-doge-to-rapidly-rebuild-social-security-codebase/

There’s [intentionally] so much to keep track of right now as #DOGE et al flood the zone with shit.

I’ve enjoyed chuckling at the doge-bags’ foolish / impossible shenanigans, like the rewriting of the Social Security database.

However, this wise commenter reminds us of the over-arching goal:

> The point of this isn't to rewrite SSA, it's to funnel SSA through Musk's burgeoning American WeChat and, as a stretch goal, break SSA so badly that they can just do away with it entirely.

> We need to stop sanewashing and positing that these twerps' intent is something noble but their methods are misguided.

> They aren't.

> They want to break the state and make money on the pieces. Everything else is window dressing.

Hat tip to @arstechnica for all of your great reporting.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-doge-to-rapidly-rebuild-social-security-codebase/?comments=1&post=43623499

What a bunch of morons...

#DOGE Plans to Rebuild SSA #Codebase in Months, #Risking Benefits and System #Collapse

"Social Security systems contain tens of millions of lines of code written in #COBOL, an archaic programming language. Safely rewriting that code would take years—DOGE wants it done in months.

Musk pointed to data he allegedly pulled from the system that showed 150-year-olds in the US were receiving benefits, something that isn’t actually happening..."
https://www.wired.com/story/doge-rebuild-social-security-administration-cobol-benefits/

What could possibly go wrong? DOGE to rapidly rebuild Social Security codebase. - The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to pu... - https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-doge-to-rapidly-rebuild-social-security-codebase/ #syndication #elonmusk #biz⁢ #policy #cobol #doge #java

Your periodic reminder that old #COBOL isn't only old COBOL. It is IBM assembler with some COBOL for the easier parts. Business apps written in assembler because the COBOL wasn't fast enough.

I can get the gist of code in most languages, but when I look at edin (assembler!) I can't figure out what is going on despite profuse comments.

"The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to put together a team to migrate the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk.

The project is being organized by Elon Musk lieutenant Steve Davis, multiple sources who were not given permission to talk to the media tell WIRED, and aims to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL, one of the first common business-oriented programming languages, and onto a more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight timeframe of a few months.

Under any circumstances, a migration of this size and scale would be a massive undertaking, experts tell WIRED, but the expedited deadline runs the risk of obstructing payments to the more than 65 million people in the US currently receiving Social Security benefits."

https://www.wired.com/story/doge-rebuild-social-security-administration-cobol-benefits/

@GossiTheDog

I asked #Grok: "What are the chances of success for Elon Musk's / DOGE's plan of rewriting (in two month's time) the SSA's COBOL codebase using AI?"

"[…] the chances of success […] are extremely low, likely in the single-digit percentage range (e.g., 5-10% at best).
This estimate assumes DOGE has exceptional resources and AI capabilities beyond what’s publicly known […] The stakes are high, and the margin for error is razor-thin."
https://x.com/i/grok/share/n9svocmPv28oPUXlCbbJruxTS