[WJW]

You can transpile anything to anything, but computers will not be able to rewrite the code to match idiomatic style in the new language. Rather, (taking the example from the article) you get COBOL style in Elixir syntax and everyone is unhappy. Much better options are to maintain a COBOL team that continuously updates the program during its lifetime so that knowledge of how it works is never lost, or (if that is no longer possible) do periodic rewrites every two decades or so.

If your first response to this is "but that would cost a fortune!", you are completely correct. The biggest illusion in software is that a "complete" program is now "done" and will need no more investment. Software is a machine for producing information, fundamentally not much different from a lathe or a textile loom. If your company depends on a piece of software to continue existing, it is now de facto a software company. Many institutions have not yet realized this and will run into existential problems within a few decades.

[scns]

Several Clojure libraries would like to have a word with you ;)

Disclaimer: Neither a fanboi nor user, just read that potential users thought those libs were abandoned, since they havent been updated in years.