From COBOL To Crisis? DOGE's Plan To Rewrite Social Security's Code In Months Sparks Fears Of Payment Disruptions

[lapfog_1]

5. I used to teach COBOL

The COmmon Business Oriented Language developed ( partially ) by Admiral Grace Murray Hopper ( I got to meet her once upon a time ).

It's not a fun language to write software in... but, it works. The python kids will know nothing about how it works ( or doesn't work as the case may be ).. I doubt they can even read it and comprehend what the author was trying to do.

Best thing would be to give the source code to an AI and let it try to document it. Then write new software to the documented purpose and current data structures and files ( do NOT attempt to change both the software and the data structures at the same time ).

But we are talking about months if not a year to convert all of the software... and even then, probably some of the data is "corrupt" or irregular in some way ( those 150 year old people in the SS database ). That will take years to sort out.