[Info-vax] message communication (VMS <> PC)

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 25-01-2010 21:51, Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
> VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>> In article <tNskpStKPw2q at eisner.encompasserve.org>,
>> koehler at eisner.nospam.encompasserve.org (Bob Koehler) writes:
>>> In article <00A97F87.AD004A70 at SendSpamHere.ORG>, VAXman-
>>> @SendSpamHere.ORG writes:
>>>> A programmer that can't read the $QIO programming interface should NOT,
>>>> IMHO, be programming on VMS. Send them off with their own TRS-80 and a
>>>> BASIC interpetter and a cassette interface until they appreciate what a
>>>> wonderful environment they had in VMS.
>>> If I had my way, that programmer wouldn't have been around very long.
>>
>> I don't get it. I've seen C programmers that can understand gobbledegook
>> with multiple ** indirections and function references with umpteen casts,
>> but can't get past the basic VMS descriptor (length and pointer).
>
> But "length and pointer" ain't "how it's done"! All the Comp Sci guys
> know is null terminated strings.

Nul terminated strings are old today. Most languages Java, C#, Python
etc. keep track of length. The descriptor has won !

Arne