Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pacbell!att-ih!ttrdc!levy From: levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c Subject: Re: No gotos in Bourne shell Message-ID: <2596@ttrdc.UUCP> Date: 21 Apr 88 22:08:34 GMT References: <1988Apr11.201934.20594@utzoo.uucp> <451@goofy.megatest.UUCP> <1988Apr20.072731.461@utzoo.uucp> Organization: AT&T, Skokie, IL Lines: 25 In article <1988Apr20.072731.461@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: # # > It is also "amusing" to "note" that DEC has done right well with its DCL which # > has yet to support a loop constructor of any kind other than GOTO. # # If you consider marketing success a sign of technical merit, I trust you are # using an ASR33 connected to a VAX 730 running VMS on RL01 disks to write # assembler code for an IBM PC running MSDOS? ;-) Your feeble attempt at a humorous counterexample is, well, unlaughable. The worst/slowest of the items you mention (the ASR33 and the VAX 730) have next to no share of the market today. VMS and big VAXEN are successes NOW in TECHNICAL MARKETS. The market HAS spoken, not always in the way I'd hope (rah rah, UNIX _OPERATING SYSTEM_) but it somehow gets what it needs. It is cruelly indifferent to technical stuffed-shirtness. All it wants is RELIABLE RESULTS and if by cracky DCL with GOTOs can contribute to VMS's ability to produce reliable results, it sells! I'm sure DEC would cry (all the way to the bank) at your criticisms. It is also amusing to note that the brightest, brainiest, elitest technical innovation means nothing, nada, zilch, until it finds a use. -- |------------Dan Levy------------| Path: ihnp4,!ttrdc!levy | AT&T | I'm not a real hacker, but I play one on | Data Systems Group | USENET. If you think that AT&T endorses |--------Skokie, Illinois--------| my opinions, I've a nice bridge to sell ya.