[Info-vax] Some questions on software for VMS 7.3 VAX

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2016-01-01 12:59, lists at openmailbox.org wrote:
> On Fri, 1 Jan 2016 12:23:52 +0100
> Johnny Billquist via Info-vax <info-vax at rbnsn.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2016-01-01 09:27, lists at openmailbox.org wrote:
>>> On Fri, 01 Jan 2016 01:10:24 -0500
>>> David Froble via Info-vax <info-vax at rbnsn.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> lists at openmailbox.org wrote:
>>>>> Thanks for the info. I'm finding VMS altogether more pleasant to work
>>>>> on than Linux but I'm missing a few key pieces partly because I don't
>>>>> have real VMS hardware and partly because of lack of software I want.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Use Basic.  You'll like it better.  It's available.  What more could
>>>> you want?
>>>
>>> Fortran, Ada, and maybe Pascal are more to my liking. And especially
>>> assembler if I like the architecture and assembler implementation.
>>>
>>> I know you're a BASIC bigot and I can respect that. Especially in VMS
>>> where it seems it is an oustanding implementation. Plus the fact the
>>> VMS runtime is available to all languages- really a smart way to do
>>> things. But still, BASIC is not my kind of language.
>>>
>>> BTW is the BASIC on VAX/VMS a true compiler or is it interpreted?
>>
>> It's a compiler.
>> Outside of VAX, you can't even run in immediate mode.
>
> Thanks. BTW my question was not relative to VAX v. other VMS platforms. My
> experience with other BASICs was interpreted BASIC.

Well, the thing is, VMS BASIC differs in that way between VAX and 
Alpha/Itanium. So a question about VMS BASIC needs to make the 
distinction between VAX and other platforms.

But they are all compilers, so if you only want to know that detail, 
without being aware that there are differences between them, then I 
could indeed have kept quiet.

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
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