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C++ vs COBOL: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between C++ and COBOL. Both C++ and COBOL are programming languages, but they have different characteristics and purposes. Understanding these differences is important when choosing the right language for a specific task or project.

  1. Syntax and Structure: One of the main differences between C++ and COBOL lies in their syntax and structure. C++ follows a procedural or object-oriented programming paradigm and has a C-like syntax. On the other hand, COBOL is a high-level programming language designed for business applications and follows a more English-like syntax and structure. COBOL code tends to be longer and more verbose compared to C++.

  2. Domain: Another significant difference between C++ and COBOL is their primary domain of usage. C++ is a general-purpose programming language, widely used for system software, game development, and other applications where performance and efficiency are crucial. On the other hand, COBOL is primarily used in the business sector, especially for developing and maintaining large-scale commercial applications like banking systems or government databases.

  3. Memory Management: Memory management is handled differently in C++ and COBOL. In C++, developers have direct control over memory allocation and deallocation using features like dynamic memory allocation and pointers. This allows for more efficient memory usage but also requires the programmer to handle memory management explicitly, which can be error-prone. COBOL, on the other hand, handles memory management automatically using its built-in mechanisms, relieving the programmer from explicit memory handling.

  4. Object-Oriented Programming: C++ is a fully object-oriented programming language, allowing the use of classes, objects, inheritance, and polymorphism. This makes C++ suitable for building complex software systems with a modular and reusable code structure. In contrast, COBOL has limited support for object-oriented features. While newer versions of COBOL introduce some object-oriented concepts, they are not as fully developed or commonly used as in C++.

  5. Compatibility and Legacy Systems: C++ is a relatively modern programming language and is compatible with most modern operating systems and platforms. It is commonly used alongside other languages in software development projects. COBOL, on the other hand, has been around for several decades and has a strong presence in legacy systems. Many existing business applications are written in COBOL, and there is a need to maintain and update them, leading to a demand for COBOL programmers.

  6. Community and Resources: C++ has a large and active community of developers, with extensive documentation, online forums, and libraries available. It is a widely taught language in universities and has a vast ecosystem of tools and resources. COBOL, while having a smaller community compared to C++, still has an active user base due to the large number of existing COBOL-based systems. However, the availability of learning resources and modern tools for COBOL may be more limited compared to C++.

In summary, C++ and COBOL differ in terms of syntax, domain, memory management, object-oriented programming support, compatibility, and community. C++ is a general-purpose language with a strong emphasis on performance and efficiency, while COBOL is predominantly used in the business sector for large-scale commercial applications.

Advice on COBOL and C++
Needs advice
on
AngularJSAngularJSC++C++
and
JavaJava

I will use Elixir for personal projects. It's productive, reliable, secure, simple, etc. But when performance is critical, I need job opportunities, when I work with mutability, which do I pick? I need advice on which "bureaucratic, mainstream" programming language to pick when wanting performance and jobs. Elixir is often "slow", and it hasn't boomed yet the way Golang and Rust have, so which?

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Replies (1)
FREDRICK OLUOCH
Lead Software Developer at Blaqueyard · | 3 upvotes · 55.6K views
Recommends
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ElixirElixirRustRust
at

Well for those performant tasks maybe you can use Rust nifs for elixir. Elixir enables to write fault-tolerant, scalable code for concurrent systems, and as such, it is perfect for messaging systems and web applications that might need to handle a lot of users efficiently. But if you need speed you can plug in Rust or write a microservice using Goland/Rust.

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Youcef Benamare
Needs advice
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C langC langC++C++
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C#C#

include include int main(){ char name[10], pasword[10]; printf("enter you user name :"); gets(name); printf("enter your pasword : "); gets(pasword); printf("your name : %s \n your password : %s \n", name, pasword); if ( name != "youcef") { printf("name undefined\n"); } else { printf("finde name"); }

}

his not working

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Replies (2)
Richard Rios
Senior Software Engineer · | 5 upvotes · 136.8K views
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You will want to do a few things here. First, replace gets with fgets. Then, you're going to want to use strcmp from string.h to compare the input with the desired result. The code listed below has been updated with a working example with the previously mentioned recommendations. This isn't perfect and there are other ways to accomplish the same task. Explore other options that are available when you have a chance and see if you can improve on this example.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main()
{ 
    char name[10], 
    pasword[10]; 

    printf("enter you user name :"); 

    // Use fgets as gets is insecure and can easily lead to buffer overflow exploits
    fgets(name, sizeof(char) * sizeof(name), stdin);

    // Remove \n from fgets stdin read with null character so as to not have to include
    // in strcmp later.
    name[strlen(name) - 1] = '\0';

    printf("enter your pasword : "); 
    fgets(pasword, sizeof(char) * sizeof(pasword), stdin);

    printf("your name : %s \n your password : %s \n", name, pasword);

    // If strcmp result > 0 || < 0 it's not a match
    if (strcmp(name, "youcef") != 0) 
    { 
        printf("name undefined\n"); 
    } 
    else 
    { 
        printf("finde name"); 
    }
}
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Recommends
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C langC lang

Dear, Yusuf You can't use if statement to compare two strings, but you can use strcmp() function which means string compare The behavior of strcmp function is: If (string1 < string2)? Then: return a negative value. If (string1 > string2)? Then: return a positive value.

If(string1 == string2)? Then: return (0).

So, you can modify this statment to: if(strcmp(name,"Yousef") != 0) printf("name undefined\n");

else printf("find name");

But, In this case there is one logic problem that (strcmp) function don't ignore the letter case. For example: If you input name : yousef

The first letter here (y) is small, but in the comparing statement above is capital, So the result will be "name undefined", but in fact "yousef" = "Yousef".

To solve this problem you should use stracasecmp() function. This function ignore the letter case while comparing. The code will be: if(strcasecmp(name,"Yousef") != 0) printf("name undefined\n");

else printf("find name");

Attention: Include string libreary after using these functions to skip any problem may be found.

include

may Allah bless you ^_^

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Needs advice
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C++C++JavaScriptJavaScript
and
PythonPython

Hello, I am interested in learning how to program. I am a beginner, and many articles saying I should go with Python if I am new to programming. I considered Lua a long time ago, but for my career, I believe major programming languages should be better for me. I'm considering Python at this moment, but if you have other tools I should use, let me know.

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Replies (3)
Pat Fitzner
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Although Lua is a very simple,efficient, elegant and welcoming language, Python is extremely versatile. Therefore, if you want to get into programming without a defined direction, Python is the way to go. It has a lot of libraries, the ability to do anything and it is closer to other languages than Lua is (yeah I know about Lua and C, but from a learner's point of view, it makes sense). Additionally, Python will be a marketable skill, but I for one have not yet seen job offers for Lua devs.

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Recommends
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C langC langC++C++C#C#JavaJava

The language you choose is also dependant on the type of career / area of programming you wish to focus on: Web Based and mobile applicaitons I would lean towards Java, PC Applications I tend to like C#, Embedded industry C, C++

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anas mattar
Technical Lead at DPO International · | 2 upvotes · 197.4K views
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my advice , you should answer me for this question, what do you like to work: web base or mobile native or cross platform. if you like web base you should choose PHP or ASP.net or Node.js or if you like mobile native you should decide Android or IOS platform and else if you like cross platfrom you should learn Flutter with dart language. thanks

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Needs advice
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C++C++JavaScriptJavaScript
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PythonPython

Hi, I'm just starting to learn code, and I stumbled upon this website. I think I should learn JavaScript, Python, and C++ to begin with. I'm a quick learner so I am only worried about what would be more useful. Suppose my goal is to build an online clothing store or something. Then what languages would be best? I need advice. Please help me out. I'm 13 and just beginning and it's hard to understand when people use technical terms so please keep it simple. Thanks a lot.

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Replies (8)
Taimoor Mirza
Associate Software Engineer at Intech Process Automation · | 21 upvotes · 230.4K views
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on
PythonPython

Go with Python. It's syntax is really simple and less verbose compare to others. You can use Python for basically anything like web dev, task automation, data science, data engineering, cybersecurity etc. At initial level, it's more important to get an understanding of programming fundamentals. Once you get conformable with coding in general, then you can explore other languages.

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I would worry less about languages when you're first starting out. If you want to build an online store, then javascript is a great language that is used all over the web! Get comfortable with your first language, learn some computer science concepts and how to build things the right way, and then just work towards a goal and learn as you go!

https://www.w3schools.com/ is a great resource and it's completely free, everything you need to know to build a website is on that page if you have the drive to learn it. Best of luck to you!

Here's a neat roadmap too, in case you find yourself lost on what to learn next https://roadmap.sh/frontend

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Recommends
on
JavaScriptJavaScript

I recommend JavaScript to build your first website, for both FrontEnd and BackEnd , even tho I am a BIG fan of C++ it is not well suited yet to create websites, and Python would be just as good for the BackEnd as JavaScript but having everything written in only one language will make your learning curve way easier, so it is easy to recommend JavaScript.

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Mukesh Gurpude
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on
JavaScriptJavaScriptPythonPython

Python is an easy and beginner-friendly language. As you've mentioned about Online Clothing store, you'll need to deal with the website part and you'll need Javascript to make the site accessible and functional. Javascript will be more easy to learn if you learn Python first, so you can just start with Python.

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Recommends
on
JavaScriptJavaScript

I have worked with all these a ton. I make ecommerce and enterprise apps now. The only one of these you need is JavaScript. You can use JS on the backend as Node.js in AWS Lambda. You will need HTML and CSS skills, as well as a database. I recommend MongoDB. Please forget about C++ until you built your first company. Python fits the same purpose as Node.js but is currently popular in the Data Science community so skip it until you have a LOT of customers.

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Recommends
on
FlaskFlaskPythonPython

Hello Rachel, as a fellow programmer, I am glad that you are planning on expanding your coding knowledge and skills.

I recommend learning python first as it has a very simple syntax (syntax is how your code looks and how simple it is to type) and is also very user-friendly. Once you get to know how to code in python, you can use this thing called Flask.

Flask is what you call a "web application framework" or a WAF, it basically is a tool used to develop websites and other similar things. You don't have to worry much about it's difficulty because it is based on python. You will still have to learn how to use Flask though as it could be a bit complicating in first glance.

If you are looking for simpler ways for making website without having to learn a lot of programming, you can learn HTML and CSS. These 2 will help you in making a basic and functional website. The catch is, from a career perspective, HTML won't get you far, as literally every programmer knows it. So it is best to use programming languages.

I hope this gave you a clear understanding of the ways in which you can build websites. Wishing you the best of luck!

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Recommends
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WordPressWordPress

Hi, When saying that "Suppose my goal is to build an online clothing store or something", I would go for a ready to use platform like Wordpress. it will give you a fast jump into the online world. By using WP you'll have to catch on with PHP\JQuery Goodluck.. Ping me when store is ready, I might buy something....

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John Akhilomen
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on
JavaScriptJavaScriptPythonPython

Since you're new, I'd recommend Javascript and Python. With Javascript, just learn React and Node. And with Python, learn Django. With JavaScript, Node, React, Python, and Django; you can accomplish quite a lot for both frontend and backend.

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Decisions about COBOL and C++
Alexandre Desroches
Founder & Developper at Finance D · | 71 upvotes · 343.1K views

I had a goal to create the simplest accounting software for Mac and Windows to help small businesses in Canada.

This led me to a long 2 years of exploration of the best language that could provide these features:

  • Great overall productivity
  • International wide-spread usage for long-term sustainability and easy to find documentation
  • Versatility for creating websites and desktop softwares
  • Enjoyable developper experience
  • Ability to create good looking modern UIs
  • Job openings with this language

I tried Python, Java, C# and C++ without finding what I was looking for.

When I discovered Javascript, I really knew it was the right language to use. Thinking of this today makes me realize even more how great a decision this has been to learn, use and master Javascript. It has been a fun, challenging and productive road on which I am still satisfied.

Obviously, when I refer to Javascript, it is not without implying the vast ecosystem around it. For me, JS is a whole universe in which almost every imaginable tools exist. It's awesome - for real. Thanks to all the contributors which have made it possible.

To be even clearer about how intense I am with Javascript, let's just say that my first passion was music. Until, I find coding with Javascript! Yep, I know!

So in conclusion, I chose Javascript because it is versatile, enjoyable, widely used, productive for both desktop softwares and websites with ability to create modern great looking user interfaces (assuming HTML and CSS are involved) and finally there are job openings.

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Python has become the most popular language for machine learning right now since almost all machine learning tools provide service for this language, and it is really to use since it has many build-in objects like Hashtable. In C, you need to implement everything by yourself.

C++ is one of the most popular programming languages in graphics. It has many fancy libraries like eigen to help us process matrix. I have many previous projects about graphics based on C++ and this time, we also need to deal with graphics since we need to analyze movements of the human body. C++ has much more advantages than Java. C++ uses only compiler, whereas Java uses compiler and interpreter in both. C++ supports both operator overloading and method overloading whereas Java only supports method overloading. C++ supports manual object management with the help of new and delete keywords whereas Java has built-in automatic garbage collection.

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Russtopia Labs
Sr. Doodad Imagineer at Russtopia Labs · | 0 upvote · 199.1K views

As a personal research project I wanted to add post-quantum crypto KEM (key encapsulation) algorithms and new symmetric crypto session algorithms to openssh. I found the openssh code and its channel/context management extremely complex.

Concurrently, I was learning Go. It occurred to me that Go's excellent standard library, including crypto libraries, plus its much safer memory model and string/buffer handling would be better suited to a secure remote shell solution. So I started from scratch, writing a clean-room Go-based solution, without regard for ssh compatibility. Interactive and token-based login, secure copy and tunnels.

Of course, it needs a proper security audit for side channel attacks, protocol vulnerabilities and so on -- but I was impressed by how much simpler a client-server application with crypto and complex terminal handling was in Go.

$ sloc openssh-portable 
  Languages  Files    Code  Comment  Blank   Total  CodeLns
      Total    502  112982    14327  15705  143014   100.0%
          C    389  105938    13349  14416  133703    93.5%
      Shell     92    6118      937   1129    8184     5.7%
       Make     16     468       37    131     636     0.4%
        AWK      1     363        0      7     370     0.3%
        C++      3      79        4     18     101     0.1%
       Conf      1      16        0      4      20     0.0%
$ sloc xs
  Languages  Files  Code  Comment  Blank  Total  CodeLns
      Total     34  3658     1231    655   5544   100.0%
         Go     19  3230     1199    507   4936    89.0%
   Markdown      2   181        0     76    257     4.6%
       Make      7   148        4     50    202     3.6%
       YAML      1    39        0      5     44     0.8%
       Text      1    30        0      7     37     0.7%
     Modula      1    16        0      2     18     0.3%
      Shell      3    14       28      8     50     0.9%

https://gogs.blitter.com/RLabs/xs

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Pros of COBOL
Pros of C++
  • 2
    Business Oriented Language
  • 202
    Performance
  • 106
    Control over memory allocation
  • 97
    Cross-platform
  • 96
    Fast
  • 84
    Object oriented
  • 57
    Industry standard
  • 47
    Smart pointers
  • 37
    Templates
  • 16
    Gui toolkits
  • 16
    Raii
  • 13
    Generic programming
  • 13
    Control
  • 13
    Flexibility
  • 11
    Metaprogramming
  • 9
    Hardcore
  • 5
    Simple
  • 5
    Full-fledged containers/collections API
  • 5
    Many large libraries
  • 4
    Performant multi-paradigm language
  • 4
    Large number of Libraries
  • 3
    Way too complicated
  • 1
    Close to Reality
  • 1
    Plenty of useful features

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Cons of COBOL
Cons of C++
  • 2
    Extremely long code for simple functions
  • 8
    Slow compilation
  • 8
    Unsafe
  • 6
    Over-complicated
  • 6
    Fragile ABI
  • 5
    No standard/mainstream dependency management
  • 4
    Templates mess with compilation units
  • 3
    Too low level for most tasks
  • 1
    Compile time features are a mess
  • 1
    Template metaprogramming is insane
  • 1
    Segfaults
  • 1
    Unreal engine

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