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

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 4/4/2022 11:47 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 4/4/2022 10:18 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> 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.

DEC/VMS Basic has been very compatible as you have explained many times.
Lot of credit to DEC/CPQ/HP(E)/VSI for that.

Microsoft has sort of 3 generations of Basic:
* The DOS Basic's (GW Basic, QBasic etc.)
* VB especially VB6
* VB.NET

Big changes between them.

But a lot was give due to the difference in nature.

The first is really just a Basic interpreter/compiler (depending
on what flavor).

The second was a RAD tool with tight integration with COM.

The third was a full blown OO language integrated with .NET - some
consider it "C# with VB syntax".

Full compatibility may have been very difficult to achieve.

Arne