Welcome to the new IBM COBOL wiki .. 

 I'm Mike Connor,  the Product Line Manager for IBM COBOL.  Michelle Cordes is the Product Manager. 

What is the purpose of this wiki?   Basically it's a place for us - COBOL people - to go to learn, exchange information, and promote COBOL.  Both today and tomorrow.  Not to be sappy - but we're trying to create a place for community and friendship.   
Some of the things we believe: 

• COBOL is part of a select few - maybe "the" key programming language for mission critical business processing.    Note, COBOL is NOT the only language for business.   No language is - not JAVA, C, Visual Basic, etc. 
• We embrace modern architectures and frameworks like J2EE, JSF, Struts, .Net, etc., meaning, COBOL participates in these architectures and frameworks.     COBOL runtimes cross platforms and include TXSeries, CICS, and IMS. 
• We want to leverage past processing in our applications.  Reuse is good.  But some of those older architectures do need work.  Kind of like older houses do as well.   

What will we try to accomplish: 

• Define COBOL's place in a future embracing many open standards beyond COBOL including WebServices, XML, etc. 
• Promote modern architectures via enhanced skills.  Skills begin with understanding.  Understanding begins with access. 
• Correct misconceptions.  Some in the industry have stated no developers, no schools, no one wants to do COBOL... BE SERIOUS.  It's easy, self documenting, fast, and requires little language specific training.  All great attributes for a great "business" language.  And the vast majority of business applications and their developers use it.       

Some of the basic rules we'll have: 

• First, let's respect each other.
• Second, let's share experiences, success, and even failures
• Third, we'll be positive.  - note, you don't have to be - but it'll be more fun if you are.  There is lots of change happening today.  No fear mongering.  To use a perhaps overused saying "It's all good" - whether we're ready or not.
• Fourth - it's going to be technical.  Limited fluff and what I call "management by magazine" stuff.     

Some business issues and core technologies we'll have links about: 

• Reusability - a place for experience and information - and COBOL
• SOA and Web Services and COBOL
• Web, J2EE, JSF and COBOL
• .net and COBOL
• Language Interoperation and COBOL
• System z and COBOL
• Distributed platforms and COBOL
• Development tools and processes for COBOL
• Model driven development and COBOL
• SCA and event driven architecture and COBOL
• Application performance and COBOL
• Education and general media
• Legacy modernization
• International and DBCS COBOL application issues

Finally, Michelle and I are with IBM and are driving content at the moment.  Many contributors will also be from IBM (that's who we know).  Sometimes we're asked - what does IBM Think?  Frankly, I never know how to answer that ?  At our company there is no organization. - at least that I can find - that stamps things "IBM Thinks This".  That said, we will have what key IBM Thought leaders think for sure.   

Anyway, in closing....we'd like your feedback and help moving forward.  Also be patient - it'll be a few weeks until the "full" site is operating.  We'd like other input as well. 

Looking forward to a great 2007.

Mike Connor