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From: tombre@crin.UUCP (Karl Tombre)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Re: structured assembler (BASIC)
Message-ID: <153@crin.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Mar-86 10:45:42 EST
Article-I.D.: crin.153
Posted: Thu Mar 20 10:45:42 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Mar-86 22:21:44 EST
References: <443@3comvax.UUCP> <7900003@ztivax.UUCP>
Reply-To: tombre@crin.UUCP (Karl Tombre)
Organization: C.R.I.N., Nancy, France
Lines: 48
Keywords: BASIC
Summary: to basic or not to basic

In article <7900003@ztivax.UUCP> david@ztivax.UUCP writes:
>NO NO NO!!  PLEASE NOT BASIC!!
>
>Basic forces you to build something sans data strcutures, sans control
>structures, pure vomit.

No, it does not force you, only makes it easy to construct such vomit.

>Use somthing that lets you THINK about the problem, not that you are
>running out of space to the next line number...  And what was that
>variable for???

And why not think about the problem BEFORE beginning to program?

>Even if you are going to implement in assembler (ESPECIALLY if you are
>going to implement in assembler!!) you should have the concept and the
>algorithm right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  BASIC clouds the issue so severley
>that you wont be able to do it.

Here is the main point. Yes indeed you must have your algorithm right. But
if you have a structured, clear algorithm, you can write a BASIC program
which is not pure "vomit". Of course it won't be as well implemented as in
PASCAL, C or something like that, but IT IS POSSIBLE TO PROGRAM IN A CLEAN
WAY WITH BASIC. Some hints : put in your comments a description of EVERY
variable (my rule : between 50% and 70% of the code should be comments),
NEVER use the same variable for two different things, use SUBROUTINES in
which you comment about input and output (no undocumented side effects),
use GOTOs only when you are compelled to do it (in if then else structures
for example), separate your program into distinct parts, ...

I am of course totally aware of the great lacks of BASIC, but the main
reason for the many bad BASIC programs available is that so many
self-learned programmers have been around generating complete trash.

>Real men use 4th generation languages...

Real men think before they program. But indeed it is much better to use high
level languages.
-- 
--- Karl Tombre @ CRIN (Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Nancy)
UUCP:    ...!vmucnam!crin!tombre  or    ...!inria!crin!tombre
COSAC:   crin/tombre
POST:    Karl Tombre, CRIN, B.P. 239, 54506 VANDOEUVRE CEDEX, France

Les plus desesperes sont les chants les plus beaux,
Et j'en sais d'immortels qui sont de purs sanglots.

       Alfred de Musset.