[Info-vax] Rust as a HS language, was: Re: Quiet?

[Dave Froble]

On 4/4/2022 10:18 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 4/4/2022 9:29 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>> On 4/4/2022 2:46 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> On 4/4/2022 2:07 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>> But other languages are also evolving over time, and they do it in
>>>> a way that guarantees the next language variant is just another
>>>> language mode in the existing compilers. That means I know I can still
>>>> compile code written to that old language variant in the years to come.
>>>
>>> There are no such guarantee.
>>>
>>> There are plenty of examples of breaking changes.
>>
>> There is also things such as Basic+, BP2, VAX Basic, DEC BASIC, Compaq BASIC,
>> HP BASIC, VSI BASIC that is probably 100% compatible.  We have code originally
>> implemented back in the 1970s, which will still compile and run, correctly,
>> today.  I will admit that the application has changed over the years, and
>> finding some of that old code might be a task, but, it will still do what it
>> was written to do.
>
> Many languages prioritize compatibility.
>
>> Can anything be more valuable than that?
>>
>> Is that something to desire?
>
> It is a very desirable thing.
>
> Code should be enhanced and improved, but preferably to meet
> increase business demand not to keep up with an ever changing
> language standard.

Yes, this is the key.

Some time ago, perhaps in the 1990s,  not sure, the Basic developers took a look 
at things in general, and declared "we can implement just about anything". 
Basic got the RECORD statement, basically similar to structures in C, and some 
other things.  The concept was "add helpful things, but don't break anything". 
That was rather useful.

Another example, I can use Visual Basic a bit.  I cannot use VB .NET.  Not sure 
of all the differences, but a VB program will not compile in .NET.  That was 
rather distasteful.


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David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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