Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!motcsd!xdos!doug
From: doug@xdos.UUCP (Doug Merritt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Can you nest subroutines in C?
Message-ID: <400@xdos.UUCP>
Date: 30 Jun 89 20:22:12 GMT
References: <4495@crash.cts.com> <18161@usc.edu> <17863@swrinde.nde.swri.edu> <395@xdos.UUCP> <17894@swrinde.nde.swri.edu>
Reply-To: doug@xdos.UUCP (Doug Merritt)
Organization: Hunter Systems, Mountain View CA (Silicon Valley)
Lines: 47

In article <17894@swrinde.nde.swri.edu> kent@swrinde.UUCP (Kent D. Polk) writes:
>In article <395@xdos.UUCP> doug@xdos.UUCP (Doug Merritt) writes:
>>In article <17863@swrinde.nde.swri.edu> kent@swrinde.UUCP (Kent D. Polk) writes:
>>>Some versions of Pascal do allow this. Hewlett Packard Pascal does for
>>
>>Oh, please, let's not drag the rotting corpse of nonstandard Pascals
>>into this.
>
>For those of us who know about HP Pascal, no need to respond. I sent
>Mr. Merritt a response via email explaining his mistakes &
>misconceptions. Not a one of his derogatory comments applied to HP
>Pascal. It also appears that Mr Merritt never learned enough of Pascal
>and its capabilities to truly appreciate what it can do and why
>nonstandard Pascals exist - but enough.

What a shame that Kent didn't leave it just at email. The problem is
that Kent thought I was flaming his favorite language, HP Pascal,
whereas I was just saying that *standard* Pascal is brain damaged, and
the fact that there are nonstandard Pascal's available to some people
doesn't help the rest of the world who have to use standard Pascal.
(And *obviously* the nonstandard Pascals exist because of what standard
Pascal *can't* do.)

Standard knee jerk reaction from somebody with a favorite language.
Careful readings of my postings will reveal a strong distaste for
*all* of the languages under discussion, so I'm not playing favorites.
I started using both C and Pascal in 1976, for the record.

I don't mind comparing language features in public as long as the
discussion stays neutral, but if you're going to start reacting emotionally,
keep it 100% in email.

>For those who don't know, HPPascal (9000 series) is not simply a
>nonstandard Pascal, but is really different, looking remarkably like M2
>with just about all of its good points and almost none of its bad
>points - much better than M2 (IMHO). It is more a different language
>that happens to be able to compile standard Pascal.  A language that I
>wish could be available for the Amiga, but simply a wish. I am willing
>to work with those languages which are available.

I have no doubt but that it is an admirable language, I just don't see
why anyone without an HP machine would much care. Recall the original
subject, after all!
	Doug
-- 
Doug Merritt		{pyramid,apple}!xdos!doug
Member, Crusaders for a Better Tomorrow		Professional Wildeyed Visionary