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Mainframe: Enterprise Data Hub with a Choice of Programming Languages

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Several global enterprises rely on IBM mainframes for it critical business functions. A flexible and adaptable mainframe application is the need of the hour in the current IT business scenario. Organisations are beginning to take a step forward and merge their existing legacy applications with available options of the new business models and technologies. As of now, IBM???s mainframes stand gaining massive reception with respect to it???s support to programming languages. IBM has given a significant amount of importance to it???s mainframe application development to make it flexible enough to incorporate alien forms.

COBOL has remained the most known programming language on z System for nearly fifty years. Common Business Oriented Language [COBOL] is primarily used in the region of commercial data processing. IBM confirms that there is an estimated 2 million strong COBOL programmers in this world.
Apart from COBOL, modern mainframes offer a choice of programming languages. This includes: PL/1 ???Programming Language One???, suitable for both scientific and commercial purposes is a high level programming language. The implementation of PL/1 came with the development of System/360. Since the language syntax is similar to English, it was deemed as simple to use.

The use of C/C++ language in the world of mainframes is rising. Used for specific purposes like system level coding, graphics etc that sets C/C++ apart from the others apart from it???s ability to be consistent across different systems.
Java???s main support comes from IBM???s computing platforms like z/OS. Growing increasingly popular because of its longer execution path, Java is an object-oriented programming language. It is also amongst the favourites of mainframe application programmers because of its usage of multiple platforms.

Living on the concept of ???easy to write and test???, REXX and CLIST are not typically for the development of traditional applications. Being command languages they work efficiently with the Time Sharing Option/ Extension (TSO/E).
The latest version of Basic Assembly Language is HLASM (High Level Assembler) that was used by IBM mainframe from the earliest S/ 360 through the 370, 390 and z Series. Linux also runs another version of HLSAM.
The first standard computer language FORTRAN (Formula Translator), developed by IBM was released in 1957. It was initially designed to create scientific computing and numerically intensive programs. Despite it???s half a century old life, FORTRAN is still very much preferred in several avenues.
Every language has its own positives and negatives. Several organisations try to beat their errors in consolidation with Linux and creating/modernising/maintaining the applications by means of legacy codes.

The arrival of newer technologies has brought in significant advancement in application development for mainframes. Due to its flexibility in choice of programming languages, mainframes have become a data pool for global enterprises. Also, mainframe programming has come a long way from the standalone COBOL to it???s present options in programming languages. IBM standing firm on it???s principles of availability, reliability and serviceability have secured a sturdy platform for application development in its mainframe space. This has made them succeeded in turning mainframes into a power house for the development of future applications. Due to it???s feature of expandability even in it???s flexibility, mainframes are in the race for the long run.

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