Author(s)

D.J. Leigh & E. Halliday

Abstract

Measuring commercial program suite complexity D.J. Leigh & E. Halliday School of Computing, Staffordshire University, ABSTRACT COBOL is a very widely-used computer language, even in the 1990s. Its age is reflected in the ease with which poor initial programming practices are possible, even though the language does allow correct structuring. This may be contrasted with those languages of more modern derivation, where encapsulation, abstraction and data-hiding capabilities encourage correct approached. A large burden of maintenance also comes with older and less well- documented program suites. As more and more modifications are made, the "spaghetti" nature of its code can become emphasised. To avoid this difficulty, monitoring of the complexity of the code can give early warning of troubles to come. Complexity measurement has generally been undertaken in languages such as FORTRAN, as being more readily available, and more "scientific" in their approach. A similar approach to a non-"

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