[Info-vax] BASIC (was Re: 64-bit)

[Dave Froble]

On 1/12/2024 8:41 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2024-01-12, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>> On 1/11/2024 2:42 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
>>> In article <unpa1b$3316l$2 at dont-email.me>,
>>> Dave Froble  <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>>>> On 1/10/2024 9:28 PM, bill wrote:
>>>>> On 1/10/2024 7:02 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>>>> The world has evolved.
>>>>>
>>>>> Exactly.  BASIC also evolved, but better languages have passed it by.
>>>>
>>>> I confess to curiosity.  In what ways has other languages passed by Basic?
>>>
>>> Usually the answer to this is going to be some combination of
>>> better abstraction facilities, better safety properties, more
>>> capable and ergonomic libraries, etc.
>>
>> Which then asks the question, are such really better?  Perhaps some of that is
>> more opinion than fact.
>>
>> Below, when I write Basic, I'm referring to DEC/Compaq/HP/VSI Basic.
>>
>>> VSI BASIC appears to have a few useful things like static type
>>> definitions, functions, etc, and it frees the programmer from
>>> _having_ to specify e.g. line numbers.  But it doesn't seem to
>>> have a lot of support for other abstraction facilities like
>>> modules, classes, or anything of that nature.
>>
>> What amuses me about that is that when people talk about "classes", I don't have
>> a clue what they are talking about.  Perhaps I do, if the case is new names for
>> old concepts.  That is something I didn't like about Microsoft, they seemed to
>> like re-naming concepts.
>>
>
> This is absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft. It is a general language
> concept/construct.
>
> Sorry David, but you don't understand this and the other items Dan lists,
> then you are not qualified to judge the relative merits of other languages
> to BASIC.

I won't argue that, because it's quite likely true.  I don't use or pay 
attention to other languages.  Perhaps I've settled into my own level of 
incompetence.

What I do know is that I've never had any problems that I could not solve using 
Basic.  Then again, we all know I don't get out much.

> [Snip other examples]
>
>>
>>> I suppose I would turn the question around and ask what's about
>>> BASIC makes it more suitable than other languages for particular
>>> types of programs?
>>
>> For me personally, I really like the syntax of the language.  When I have to
>> attempt to read C code I'm easily confused.  Many other languages seem to copy
>> the syntax of C.
>>
>
> I suggest you look at the Wirth-style languages then. They are nothing
> like C.

Did that long ago.  Was disgusting ...


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