Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!canisius!sigmast!bob
From: bob@sigmast.UUCP (Bob Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Pascal Semicolons
Message-ID: <748@sigmast.UUCP>
Date: 28 Dec 88 04:52:16 GMT
References: <2392@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <208100003@s.cs.uiuc.edu>
Reply-To: bob@sigmast.UUCP (Bob Meyer)
Organization: Sigma Systems Technology, Inc., Buffalo NY
Lines: 43

In article <208100003@s.cs.uiuc.edu> carroll@s.cs.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>/* Written  8:47 am  Dec 15, 1988 by mauney@cscadm.ncsu.edu in s.cs.uiuc.edu:comp.lang.misc */
>/* ---------- "Re: Pascal Semicolons" ---------- */
>
>==>     IT IS NOT AN ERROR TO PUT A SEMICOLON BEFORE AN END   <==
>==>     IN THE STATEMENT SECTION OF A PASCAL PROGRAM.         <==
>Jon Mauney  

You have obviously never programmed on a Cyber system!  I was forced
to take a pascal class using this type of machine in order to finish
the credits I needed.

I had been programming in C for about 4 years (I was programming C
before it became fashionable :-)) and had this incredible tendancy to
put the 'ole ';' before END lines.  After the compiler finished
throwing up... I had the wonderful task of trying to figger out what
was wrong with the code.

I pored over the thing for about 2 hours when a lowly freshman poked
her nose into my code and said "gee, I don't put semicolons there...".
I figgered that seeing as how I've tried everything else that I would
remove the offending ';'.

LOW AND BEHOLD, the silly thing compiled and ran (remember that we're
talking batch here).  Of course if the freshman wasn't so cute, I
would have throttled her on the spot for being astute enough to spot
something as glaring as that :-).

I had first built, compiled and run this code on a UNIX system where
NULL statements were allowed.  There was also something about colons
after the otherwise switch in a case statement that didn't match
across systems too...

Needless to say I developed a deep hatred for anything that even looks
like the ramblings of Nicklaus Wirth (modula, ada et. al.) (I did ace
the course though).


-- 
		Bob Meyer, Consultant for Sigma Systems Technology, Inc.
		   5813 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221
		          ...!sunybcs!sigmast!bob