[Info-vax] Most popular application programming languages on VMS ?

[Dave Froble]

On 1/8/2019 8:51 AM, abrsvc wrote:
> On Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 8:19:14 AM UTC-5, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> All this talk about programming languages has made me wonder what
>> the most popular application programming languages are on VMS, both
>> today and in the past.
>>
>> Since the language options are going to vary with application type
>> (you are not going to see a lot of scientific programming in COBOL
>> for example :-)), this is across the VMS base as a whole and not
>> across one specific section of it.
>>
>> Does anyone know the answer ?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Simon.
>>
>> --
>> Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
>> Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world
>
> I can only talk about the ones for the sites that I support...
>
> The most common that I see are:
>
> FORTRAN
> COBOL
> C
> BASIC
>
> Others seen but not particularly actively used in new development:
>
> DIBOL
> MACRO-32
> PASCAL
>

My memory (don't laugh) is that when the 11/780 came out in 1978, it was 
mainly a Fortran machine, aimed at such users.  Later other languages 
were added.  I'm not aware of much other than Fortran in the beginning.

Now, usage may depend on how easily apps can be moved elsewhere. 
Fortran for example is available on many systems.  Something like 
VAX/DEC/COMPAQ/HP Basic just isn't available anywhere else.  A while 
back a customer wanted me to port an app I wrote for them long ago to 
WEENDOZE.  I studied the problem, and decided trying ot port would be  a 
labor intensive nightmare.  I knew the app, and decided to just 
re-implement from scratch.  Worked out much better.

What's in use today will to some extent depend on the viability, or lack 
thereof, of porting.

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef at tsoft-inc.com
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