[Info-vax] Programming languages on VMS

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 1/24/2018 7:38 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> On 01/24/2018 05:39 PM, Jan-Erik Soderholm wrote:
>> Den 2018-01-24 kl. 22:24, skrev Bill Gunshannon:
>>> On 01/24/2018 04:01 PM, DaveFroble wrote:
>>>> DATA_TYPES
>>>>
>>>>    DECIMAL
>>>>
>>>>       The DECIMAL(d,s) data type keyword specifies  packed  decimal 
>>>> data.   A
>>>>       packed  decimal  value  has  a  specified  number  of  digits 
>>>> (d) and a
>>>>       specified decimal point position (s).
>>>>
>>>> Is that Ok ?
>>>
>>> Already been addressed.  DEC BASIC != BASIC.
>>
>> DECIMAL is part of ANSI X3.113-1987 "Programming Languages Full BASIC".
> 
> Well, apparently there is no copy of the standard viewable on the web.
> Must be another "standard" that cost money just to read.  And then
> they wonder why people fail to implement the standard.  :-)

ANSI X3.113 and ISO 10279 cost money.

But ECMA-116 is available for download for free.

https://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-ST-WITHDRAWN/ECMA-116,%201st%20edition,%20June%201986.pdf

The relevant section must be section 15 (page 146).

Note though that it uses NUMERIC keyword not DECIMAL.

> But, I just looked at two BASIC implementations claiming to be
> super-sets of the ANSI standard and neither of them had it.

ECMA-116 distinguishes between level 1 and level 2 of Full Basic.

Only level 2 is required to have fixed point.

Arne