[Info-vax] C versus Macro-32 readability, was: Re: Listeners in VMS Basic

[Dave Froble]

On 7/14/2021 1:33 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2021-07-13, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>>
>> Maybe for someone familiar with C, and not so familiar with Macro-32.
>>
>
> I know both and I am very glad that I don't have to use Macro-32 or
> another assembly language to write a full application.
>
> Assembly languages have their uses even today for specific low-level tasks
> (and I use them for those specific tasks). Outside of that, programmers
> are far more efficient using higher level languages to write their
> applications.
>
>> Regardless, the topic was about comments, and the Macro-32 example is
>> commented enough to allow readers to understand rather quickly what is
>> happening.
>>
>
> Yes, and a heavy amount of commenting is required to understand that
> section of Macro-32 compared to the same code in C or another HLL.
>
> In C or another HLL, you need one comment per variable and a comment
> before the block of code and that is all that is required.
>
> There is far higher cognitive overhead in understanding and writing
> Macro-32 compared to C or another HLL, especially when it comes to
> larger sections of code.
>
> Simon.
>

This was never about using Macro-32, a 32 bit product, for new work.  I 
sure would not do so.  But, are you ready to re-write all assembler code 
for the entire world?  Which part of "written in 1984" didn't you 
understand?

I disagree about your opinion about comments in C, or any other 
language.  Why?  At least for me, I can get some idea what is happening 
by reading comments, always, well usually, easier to read than code, in 
any language.

Having to figure out what code is doing will always be less productive 
than good commenting.

Now, I'm sure you're ready to reply "what if the comments are wrong", to 
which I'll reply "what if the code is wrong".

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