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>I used to work in a shop that did it, the big problem was having the cobol programmers unpack the packed fields. Then all you needed to do was build a cross walk for the data and a .dbf and then just blow the data in. The biggest problem was with the Cobol programmers, they tended to nap after 11 a.m. and then van picked them up at 1 to take them back to the home.

i am a cobol programmer, just temporarily assigned to a vfp 5.0 project. i find your remarks regarding cobol programmers incorrect and inflammatory. having coded in cobol for over 12 years, i certainly understand cobol programmers and their work habits better than you. to set the record straight - cobol has not been taught it schools for many years. because of that most cobol programmers are older and qualify for a senior discount. because of the senior discount, any cobol programmer worth his salt would not think of starting their nap until after getting a 10% lunch discount at morrisions. lunch usually lasts about 2 hours, and everyone talks about the old days of vacumn tubes, punch cards, and computers as big as a house. After getting back to the office the wheelchair accessible van picks us up at 2:00pm. We then nap at HOME, not at the OFFICE, contrary to your remarks.

hope you have learned a little something today about your programming forefathers, young man. show cobol programmers the respect that our generation deserves. we were fighting unreasonable clients and annoying bosses before you touched your first keyboard.

brenda