[Info-vax] BASIC (and Horizon)

[Dave Froble]

On 1/29/2024 8:02 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 1/29/2024 7:50 PM, kludge at panix.com wrote:
>> =?UTF-8?Q?Arne_Vajh=C3=B8j?=  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>> The code is VB6.
>>>
>>> But none of the problems are Basic specific. It is possible
>>> to write the same bad code in C or Fortran or whatever.
>>>
>>> So it just shows that there are some really really bad programmers out
>>> there.
>>
>> I have worked with people who could write spaghetti Fortran in any
>> programming language available.
>
> "A real Fortran programmer can write Fortran in any language"
>
> Every time this comes up I post this Fortran/Pascal code:
>
>       PROGRAM GOTOFUN(INPUT,OUTPUT);
>       LABEL L731,L113,L247,L588,L761,L922,L399,L601;
>       VAR LBL:INTEGER;
>       VAR I:INTEGER;
>       BEGIN
> L731: GOTO L113;
>       LBL:=399;
> L113: I:=0;
>       WRITELN(I);
> L247: LBL:=601;
>       IF(I<0)THEN GOTO L588 ELSE IF(I=0)THEN GOTO L922 ELSE GOTO L399;
> L588: I:=I+1;
>       WRITELN(I);
>       GOTO L399;
> L761: CASE(LBL)OF 399: GOTO L399; 601: GOTO L601; END;
> L922: I:=I+1;
>       WRITELN(I);
>       CASE(I)OF 1: GOTO L588; 2: GOTO L399; 3: GOTO L922; END;
> L399: GOTO L761;
> L601: END.
>
> :-)
>
> Arne
>

I'm amused every time the GoTo bashing begins.

Not only is there nothing wrong when using a branch operation, when appropriate, 
just look at the assembler listings after compilation.  Branching is just about 
all assembler does, as required.

Now, I won't defend what I and most consider improper use of the poor 
misunderstood GoTo statement.


-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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