Summary of Changes in COBOL, 1960-1985

Sammet and Garfunkel Trace some of the changes in COBOL from its initial 1960 specifications to its current draft 1985 standard. Sammet was there at the beginning, and Garfunkel has been deeply involved in the upgrading of the language and documenting its changes over various versions. The paper contains illustrations of language features that have changed over time.