[Info-vax] Removing the leading $ from commands in a new DCL language

[David Froble]

seasoned_geek wrote:

> Some time during PLUS or PLUS II we got the & character to allow
> wrapping to a new line. This lead to a lot of code looking something
> like this (please forgive syntax errors, I don't have my hobby
> license and I haven't done BASIC in years):
> 
> 300 FOR X = 0 TO 1000 STEP 5          & LET Y = Y + 1 IF X MOD 2 EQ 0
> & & ...                           &
> 
> 350 NEXT X 355 PRINT Y


> At any rate, some of the places I worked actually had a standard of
> placing the & in column 72 (there was some specific reason they chose
> 72, perhaps because it matched the old COBOL card reader input stuff,
> I just don't remember). One thing was certain though. In an 80 column
> continuous form print out you could easily see the line breaks.

Stop hitting me, it seemed like a good idea at the time ....

Yeah, and we used to line up the "!" in the same column.

:-)

> The BASIC compiler/standard then changed and the & became "optional."

Ok, you talking about VAX/DEC Basic?  I'm not aware the line 
continuation is optional?  Unless you're talking about different 
statements.  Yeah, get rid of it.  Let the "&" signify that a single 
statement is on multiple lines.

> Leave DCL to be DCL.

Yeah, what he said ....