[Info-vax] BASIC and AST routines

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 11/23/2021 8:34 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 11/23/2021 1:37 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> That VMS API passes in a stack pointer, a PC and what were originally
>> two architecture-specific registers.
>>
>> That kind of information simply would not be exposed at application
>> code level in a modern version of that API as it would (rightly) be
>> treated as an implementation specific detail that would be handled
>> by the compiler.
>>
>> That information is only needed because the lowest supported application
>> language on VMS is Macro-32 and not C (or another comparable low-level
>> language).
> 
> Ok, but, what is the harm?
> 
> Perhaps there are uses for that data.  If one doesn't need to use them, 
> ignore them.  No blood, no foul.
> 
> Just because something is not "how things should be according to Simon" 
> doesn't necessarily make that something bad.
> 
> Perhaps when using Macro-32 there might be some use.  Yes, Macro-32 as a 
> compiler language sort of sucks.  But what's your alternative?  Re-write 
> everything each year, even if it's working as designed and needed?

Rewrite comes with both short term cost and risk.

But not rewriting comes with long term cost and risk.

Rewriting every year is crazy. But rewrite every 10 or 15 or 20 years
and always to something higher level may make sense.

Arne