Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c:7370 comp.lang.fortran:440
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ames!pioneer!eugene
From: eugene@pioneer.arpa (Eugene N. Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: Fortran could learn from C
Summary: It (did) learn from C's predecessors
Keywords: X3J3 Fortran Draft cpp ALGOL PL/1 COBOL other languages
Message-ID: <4993@ames.arpa>
Date: 21 Feb 88 02:39:41 GMT
References: <42586@sun.uucp>
Sender: usenet@ames.arpa
Reply-To: eugene@pioneer.UUCP (Eugene N. Miya)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 21

Just a short note on your comment.

Years ago in grad school, I had a visiting French professor of CS who
had a great little cartoon on this problem.  A man (standing) (FORTRAN
written across his suit) and a woman (sitting) (COBOL written over her)
in a living room with a baby (PL/1) on the floor.  There was a big
picture window and a milkman (ALGOL written across him) with his truck
walking up to the door.  The husband is saying:
	"He doesn't look like me...."
The baby and the milkman share the same face.  I hope I still have this
cartoon buried some place.

Face it, you will never satisify users who can't (won't) change, so you
might as well write a new language for new architectures.

From the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@ames-aurora.ARPA
  "You trust the `reply' command with all those different mailers out there?"
  "Send mail, avoid follow-ups.  If enough, I'll summarize."
  {uunet,hplabs,hao,ihnp4,decwrl,allegra,tektronix}!ames!aurora!eugene