COBOL vs Visual Basic: What are the differences?

Introduction

COBOL and Visual Basic are both programming languages used for developing software applications. While they share some similarities, there are several key differences between the two languages.

1. Usage and Popularity: COBOL is primarily used for developing business applications, especially in the finance and banking sectors. It has been in existence since the 1960s and is still widely used today. On the other hand, Visual Basic is a general-purpose programming language developed by Microsoft and is popular for creating Windows-based applications and web services.

2. Syntax and Structure: COBOL follows a very structured syntax, with a strong emphasis on readability and self-documenting code. It uses a verbose syntax with a significant number of reserved keywords. Visual Basic, on the other hand, follows a more concise syntax with a simple and easy-to-understand structure.

3. Design and Development Approach: COBOL is a procedural programming language where programs are divided into a series of procedures or subroutines. It is predominantly focused on data processing and business logic. Visual Basic, on the other hand, uses a graphical development approach known as Rapid Application Development (RAD). It allows developers to visually design user interfaces and code using event-driven programming techniques.

4. Platform Independence: COBOL is designed to be platform-independent, allowing programs written in COBOL to run on various operating systems and hardware architectures. Visual Basic, on the other hand, is mostly limited to the Windows platform and is tightly integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem.

5. Runtime Environment: COBOL programs are compiled into machine code or intermediate code and executed directly on the target platform. Visual Basic, however, relies on a runtime environment called the .NET Framework, where the code is compiled into an intermediate language (IL) that runs in a virtual machine known as the Common Language Runtime (CLR).

6. Legacy Systems and Maintenance: COBOL is often used for maintaining and modernizing legacy systems that were originally written in COBOL. It is known for its ability to handle large-scale data processing and transactional systems. Visual Basic, on the other hand, is more commonly used for developing new applications, and its support for legacy systems is limited.

In summary, COBOL is widely used for business applications, has a structured syntax, and is platform-independent, while Visual Basic is popular for Windows-based applications, uses a concise syntax, and is tightly integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem.