“There was an apparent math error in the calculation of …”
Math error? How would there be a math error, in this era of COBOL and Excel and nobody does final calculations by hand?
The math error was in computing the probability of sneaking it passed.
For those who are interested, I linked to a schedule of the upcoming events in Trump’s civil and criminal trials:
I really don’t know - is the COBOL part a joke? Is COBOL still used? I’ve done a lot of computer programming, in FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, C, C++, Perl, Python, Java, Javascript, probably others, but I’ve never laid eyes on a single line of COBOL code.
I’ve seen COBOL code, even seen my dad’s SNOBOL cards, but I’ve never coded in them. Either way, I haven’t seen the programming or scripting language that obviates errors. And really every error that involves a computer involves a math error, math is all a computer does.
My last job was supporting a COBOL system on an IBM midrange. The programs were initially written in the 1990s, and the whole shebang was slated to be replaced, but several vendors who looked at it said they couldn’t recreate the required functionality within their packages (it’s kind of esoteric: liquor and cannabis licensing). Last I looked, it was still running.
I know the trend for a good while has been to use other languages for user-facing applications, which is appropriate because COBOL isn’t well-suited for those; but if you looked under the covers of an enterprise system that’s been around for a while, there’s a good chance you’d find COBOL doing the grunt work.
If the computer is doing bad math — unless there’s a hardware malfunction — it had a bad teacher.
Well, yeah. A human probably lies at the heart of all of your computer problems. It might even be me.
Wasn’t that long ago that there was an urgent request for COBOL programmers from various state governments, as their unemployment systems were being overwhelmed during the pandemic.
Your bank, or its back-end processor, more than likely uses COBOL code.
There are over 220 billion lines of COBOL programming code and 1.5 billion are written each year, which includes the code that powers 80% of in-person financial transactions
Why COBOL & COBOL Developer Are Relevant in 2024?.
Yes, IBM Mainframes are still a thing.
Back on topic, Trump’s business empire could be dissolved soon. But it probably won’t happen.
Not an accountant, but engineer. In my world, the phrase “math error” is used as a catch-all term to identify inconsistencies that have no reasonable explanation.
I remember one meeting where a co-worker was explaining his analysis when a discrepancy was identified. It was not merely the numbers didn’t add up, but a few physical laws were ignored. He called it a math error. I commented that it was more like an Act of God.
The guy did do a rather good job, truth be had, and once that wrinkle was ironed out, the project turned out to exceed expectations.
Wait, I have COBOL routines embedded in my head? Arrgh. That would explain some stuff.
If it’s like mine, it’s mostly endless loops.
Moderating:
We’ve had enough of the COBOL discussion in this thread. Take it elsewhere if it continues. Thanks.
Under the probably unlikely assumption that “math error” doesn’t mean fraud, the next most likely situation is that “math error” means data entry error.
Anyone else hear about the letter today where Trump’s financial monitor - a retired federal judge - prepared a letter for Judge Engoron which identified some additional financial shadiness Trump engaged in? Seems he’s claiming he ‘loaned’ himself (as 100% owner of an LLC associated with Trump’s skyscraper project in Chicago) $48 million dollars and no documentation of any sort seems to exist that can corroborate this ‘loan’.
Trump attacks monitor in business fraud case after she reports errors (cnbc.com)
Trump can move money around accounts merely by thinking of it in his head. It’s the same process as declassifying sensitive government documents.
No doubt. Seems this is the same loan that Mother Jones ran a story about several years ago.
Post 1899 should cover that one, I believe 
Tomorrow is Judgement Day. Place your best guess below. The winner* gets SDMB glory and bragging rights for an entire year!
*‘Price is Right’ rules apply - closest, without going over.
$464 million
$463,999,999.99