[Info-vax] Coding with/without RDBMS

[Simon Clubley]

On 2021-10-15, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
> On 10/15/2021 2:17 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> On 2021-10-14, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>>> On 10/14/2021 2:06 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>
>> In addition to what I have already said, Arne's control blocks feature
>> indented code, while all your code is at the same indentation level.
>
> We must not be looking at the same code.  Did you miss the "If Then Else End If"
> indentations?  I guess some people can go a bit wild on such, wonder what it's
> like to read code in column 382?
>

No, but that little bit doesn't really help you with understanding the code.

>>>> BTW, Basic really does like spewing its special characters onto the
>>>> end of variable references. :-)
>
> Do you say that as a complaint, or just a comment.  I find such to be helpful,
> not having to go back to check any variable declarations.
>

Comment only, as to my eyes it makes the code look a little more ugly.

But it could easily turn into a complaint if I had to type them all the time.

>>>
>>> Got to ask, just what do you think a NEXT, WHILE_END, and such statements do?
>>> Sure looks like another form of GoTo to me.
>>>
>>
>> Is code within these blocks written at an extra indentation level in
>> DEC Basic ?
>
> I do that when I feel it is appropriate.  Usually in small pieces of code.
> You do that in the program mainline, and it soon becomes very hard to read.
> I'm aware of that because someone here liked to write such code, and after
> a dozen indentations, it gets rather tiresome.
>
>> It is in other languages with their control structures and it makes
>> the code much easier to read.
>
> Sometimes it is just a particular person's practice, and yours being good
> for you doesn't mean mine isn't good for me.
>

Have you ever read Dijkstra's paper on the subject of goto statements ?

https://homepages.cwi.nl/~storm/teaching/reader/Dijkstra68.pdf

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.