[Info-vax] DCL's flaws (both scripting and UI)

[Simon Clubley]

On 2015-01-19, David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
> Simon Clubley wrote:
>> With bash, you can have multiple shells active at the same time and
>> only the commands entered during a specific session will be added to
>> the history file when that session exits even though the shell has the
>> full command history from previous shells available (up to a user
>> defined limit).
>
> I don't know why anyone would want 2 script processors at the same time. 
>   Isn't that multiple sessions?
>

Yes. Different terminal sessions running in multiple terminal windows at
the same time.

> I also don't understand retaining the history.
>

It acts as a cache of your commonly used commands which are available
for immediate recall across multiple sessions.

>> 
>> Some of DCL's scripting limitations:
>> 
>> 1) No structured programming constructs such as (for example) while
>> loops.
>
> Learn the mantra,
>
> "DCL is not a programming language".

Yes it is.

It's used to control the startup and operation of VMS.

It's used to control user created batch jobs and interactive command
procedures.

It doesn't matter that it's used in interpreted scripting environments
instead of compiled executables; it's still a programming language and
one which is very dated by today's standards.

>
> Through all of what you wrote, there is this "feeling" that you are 
> writing from the perspective of a workstation, not a "server".  Things 
> such the command line recall and length just don't come up when you're 
> running programs.  As a software person, I can appreciate what you're 
> asking for.  But from a production perspective, I don't see that it's 
> relavent.
>
> Not saying you should not have all that you listed.  But, I'd like you 
> to discuss them not from a development and / or management station, but 
> from a "running production" perspective.

These _are_ from a running production perspective (or don't you have
long or frequently used command lines as well as user written command
procedures in production use ?)

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
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