[Info-vax] Coding with/without RDBMS

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 10/17/21 9:28 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 10/17/2021 2:58 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> 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.
>>
> 
> Sigh ....
> 
> Several times.  Each time I get the same impression.  Square pegs and 
> round holes.
> 
> There are no bad instructions, including GoTo.  There is just good and 
> bad usage
> of instructions.  A well designed procedure can use any valid 
> instruction.  One can
> also write trash without using GoTo.
> 
> When anyone sets themselves up as the instruction gods, I got no time 
> for them.
> 

That's funny...  The academic world did that decades ago.  That's
why we keep hearing that COBOL is dead  and OOP and Agile are the
best thing since sliced bread.

bill