[Info-vax] Better languages than BASIC

[bill]

On 1/11/2024 9:18 PM, Chris Townley wrote:
> On 12/01/2024 01:56, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>> On Thu, 11 Jan 2024 20:25:34 -0500, bill wrote:
>>
>>> On 1/11/2024 1:30 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>
>>>> If you want to write business applications, then either Java or a
>>>> subset of C++. C++ subset to be chosen based on programmer skillsets
>>>> and the problem to be solved.
>>>
>>> Or COBOL which was actually designed for the task.
>>
>> Supposedly. But a couple of decades after the COBOL spec was first
>> published, these things called “relational databases” appeared on the
>> scene, and they soon became essential for “business applications”. And 
>> the
>> best way to access them turned out to require generating SQL query
>> strings. But good string handling had not been considered a necessity for
>> “business applications” in COBOL. So it had to resort to nonstandard
>> kludges tacked to the side to cope with SQL queries.
> 
> It wasn't difficulty to interface DEC Basic to a DB. Late in our systems 
> life, I had to interface it with interface traffic from Oracle on HP 
> Unix, and send it it an Oracle DB running on Linux
> 
> 

It isn't difficult for COBOL either.  I did it on mainframes back
in 1980 and I can do it with ease today using GnuCOBOL and Postgres.
And string handling is every bit as good as any other language.
Unless, of course, your idea of COBOL is the 1974 standard.

bill