Lambda the Ultimate

Hi,

my name is Norman, im currently doing a research on cobol,

the topic is "Is COBOL dead or is it still useful?"

im totally new and dont know anything about cobol, currently, the only thing I know is that it is a programming language for bussiness.

Can someone tell me what is the problem with COBOL? why does some people thinks its dead and if its still useful in what area?

or if some of you can find me some useful links please let me know..

thanks very much,

J.R.B. Cockett and C.A. Pastro. A language for multiplicative-additive linear logic, Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science 122.
J.R.B. Cockett and R.A.G. Seely. Finite sum-product logic, Theory and Applications of Categories, Vol. 8, No. 5.

Last evening I had the opportunity to see Professor Robin Cockett (University of Calgary) give a talk about the logic of communicating processes.

Abstract: Communication along a channel between two processes is governed by a protocol which dictates what sort of messages can be sent and received at any given time. A very basic question is: when are two processes which are attached to a number of such channels indistinguishable?

One way to answer this question is to ask whether this situation is actually the proof theory of some logic. A positive answer to this places the equivalence on an algebraic footing and allows communication to be viewed as a cut-elimination process.

Proof theories of this sort are equivalent to categorical "doctrines" and it turns out that the logic of communicating along channels is a very very basic categorical doctrine which, nonetheless, has only recently received significant attention. It is the categorical doctrine of free products and coproducts and disturbingly little is known about it!

The talk will discuss these connections and some of what is known.

As it is fairly obviously related to the subjects under discussion here, I though I'd take the opportunity to make my first real post.