Thomas N. Mackinson

COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language) is an English Language programming system which is capable of being implemented on a wide variety of electronic digital computers for use in the solution of business data processing problems. The idea was conceived in May, 1959 at a meeting called in the Pentagon by Mr. Charles Phillips of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Comptroller. The purpose of this meeting was to consider the desirability and the feasibility of establishing a common language for the programming of electronic computers for data processing. Representatives from computer user installations, both government and industrial, computer manufacturers, universities, and others concerned with computers were present. There was almost unanimous agreement that the project was both desirable and feasible. The COnference on DAta SYstems Languages (CODASYL) was established, and three committees were defined and staffed. These committees were the Short Range Committee, the Intermediate Range Committee, and the Long Range Committee. Each committee had its own goal and its own time scale. The coordination of the work to be performed was to be accomplished by an Executive Committee.