[Info-vax] Long uptime cut short by Hurricane Sandy

[VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG]

In article <keerfn$i53$1 at dont-email.me>, David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:
>VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>
>> In DCL, one can delete a character from a string with - (subtract) and one
>> can add strings with a "+" (just like in Hoff's bash example!).  I can, for
>> example, remove the "$" in this string: "This is a $ sign." with -"$".  In
>> DCL, the subtract character will delete the very first occurrance of said 
>> character that's specified when encountered in the string.  If no character
>> is found, nothing is done.  HB pointed out that using the ()s would define
>> the scope better but I assumed no "funny" characters would be in the file
>> prefix.  The multiple -"-" -"-" remove the dashes in the time and the -":"
>> -":" remove the colons in the time.  Surely, you could see that if you'd
>> have tried to understand it instead of choosing to denigrate DCL.
>
>Yep, that's where I've used it.  When you got procedures that run often 
>and you need files with a date and time stamp in the filename it's very 
>useful.  But if you don't use it often, it does (at least for me) stop 
>you when you're skimming through DCL code.  Even if you're aware of what 
>it does, I still have to stop and think about it.
>
>> A lack of understanding of the semantics doesn't make it cryptic.
>
>Actually, for me it does, but, if it was preceded by something such as:
>
>$! Build a filename with date stamp without the dashes and colens

Certainly... and an unnecessary I/O too!


>Then the DCL code would be much easier to follow ....
>
>My DCL code has lots of comments, but to be fair (I hate doing that) the 
>bash code would  benefit from comments also.

I've seen more comments in DCL procedures than I've seen in bash scripts!
-- 
VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker    VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG

Well I speak to machines with the voice of humanity.