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Mark Schettenhelm, Product Manager from BMC, addresses the pervasive fear of change within mainframe environments, particularly when dealing with COBOL applications. He argues that the issue is not COBOL itself, but rather the monolithic and complex nature of existing COBOL programs, which have become difficult to maintain and evolve. Schettenhelm highlights that modern developers are hesitant to work with these outdated systems due to a lack of appropriate tools, which forces them to work in inefficient ways reminiscent of the 1980s. To combat this, BMC has developed AMI DevX Code Insights, a tool designed to provide comprehensive understanding and management of COBOL programs. This tool offers features like structure charts, logic flow, data flow analysis, and code extraction to break down monolithic programs into manageable pieces. Additionally, it includes a runtime visualizer to map out program interactions and an ABEND history feature to inform developers about past errors. Recently, BMC has integrated AI capabilities to explain code sections in plain English, further aiding developers in understanding and maintaining legacy systems. Schettenhelm emphasizes that these tools are crucial for overcoming the fear of change, ensuring the vitality of COBOL applications, and facilitating the ongoing evolution of the mainframe.
Personnel: Mark Schettenhelm
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