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

[Dan Cross]

In article <unsbik$3jsdv$1 at dont-email.me>,
Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>On 1/12/2024 3:56 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
>> In article <uns6a6$3j4gn$1 at dont-email.me>,
>> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>> On 1/12/2024 12:26 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
>>> [snip]
>>> It does not mean much for writing business applications. Creating
>>> such data structures are not part of writing business applications.
>> 
>> Eh?  Not building a fast indexing structure based on domain
>> rules isn't a part of writing business applications?  I mean, ok
>> I'll take your word for it as I'm not a business applications
>> programmer type of guy, but that seems kind of weird to me.
>
>The business application just builds on general purpose libraries.
>
>If the platform comes with good general purpose libraries, then
>everything needed is there.
>
>If not so lucky then a custom library may be needed, but that
>is a library not a business application thing. And that library
>is not necessarily written by the same developer and not necessarily
>in the same language as the business application. Different
>skill set and different requirements.
>
>Basic and some ERP system. It uses some collections framework,
>some XML and JSON libs, a database lib etc.. Money is made
>from getting the application completed and out the door, not
>from creating better libraries.
>
>Or Python and data analysis. The developer knows Python,
>the data and how to interpret results. Deep down the
>stack there are some matrix multiplication and inversion
>code written in Fortran by a developer that knows nothing
>about data analysis. What would happen if the Python
>developer wanted to implement a custom matrix inversion?
>Most likely not anything good!

This may all be true, but a) suggesting that business
programmers can't or shouldn't implement elementary data
structures seems a bit on the nose, and b) if the language makes
it difficult to do so, that's a real shame.  BASIC is a general
purpose programming language, not a DSL.

	- Dan C.