Wow. I've never seen anyone beat a horse to death with an analogy :)

The problem with analogy, of course, is that it can be confused with Truth when it is intended simply for illustration.

Considering the tremendous overhead involved with getting a mainframe up and running, why would any new company throw away the car keys and use COBOL? For an established company that is already entrenched in COBOL, the "overhead" is a sunk cost. Converting to different languages would involve an analysis of future costs and those costs may be unsustainable.

To slightly skew the analogy, how many of us have bought a new car, had it turn into a beater over the years and have spent so much money fixing it that we can't afford a better car, but know we need one?

JanneVee, I'll make you a deal: if you can show me a cost-effective reason why any new company would use COBOL, I will admit my error and tell everyone how you have humbled me with your wisdom :)

In reply to RE: RE: RE: Intended use and unintended use. An insight into design. (Continued) by Ovid
in thread Intended use and unintended use. An insight into design. by JanneVee

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