From: "Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz" <nospam@gsg.eds.com>
Subject: Re: Is Ada likely to survive ?
Date: 1997/08/26
Date: 1997-08-26T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <340318BD.3A64@gsg.eds.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: dewar.872433226@merv
Robert Dewar wrote:
>
> (in the case of COBOL, I would say the most important ideas are
>
> scaled decimal arithmetic with specified portable precision, and
> completely portable arithmetic semantics.
COMPUTATIONAL-n has the semantics of whatever the vendor wants it to
mean, making it highly nonportable. Of course, PICTURE is portable.
> the hierarchical approach to data layout
I hope that you're not claiming that it originated with COBOL.
> lightweight refinement, avoiding the need for heavily nested control
> structures.
In practice PERFORM turns out to be a booby trap; nested IF and DO loops
are far
more readable and less error prone. In fact, if you look at the last few
language
revisions you will see that the COBOL community has moved away from
out-of-line
PERFORM statements in favor of nested control structures.
> This is not necessarily a complete list,
Definitely not complete. COBOL has some other features that are nice,
although
they did not originate in COBOL and the syntax is ghastly.
--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
Senior Software SE
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next prev parent reply other threads:[~1997-08-26 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 78+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1997-08-14 0:00 Is Ada likely to survive ? Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1997-08-16 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-17 0:00 ` Jerry van Dijk
1997-08-17 0:00 ` No Spam
1997-08-19 0:00 ` John English
1997-08-19 0:00 ` Mike Stark
1997-08-27 0:00 ` Jerry van Dijk
1997-08-19 0:00 ` John English
1997-08-19 0:00 ` John English
1997-08-24 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-26 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz [this message]
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1997-08-07 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1997-08-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-11 0:00 ` Richard Kenner
1997-08-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-11 0:00 ` John English
1997-08-04 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1997-08-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-06 0:00 ` HARRY R. ERWIN
1997-08-06 0:00 ` rodney
1997-08-10 0:00 ` Fergus Henderson
1997-08-10 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-08-11 0:00 ` Jerry van Dijk
[not found] ` <01bca387$42ffbce0$18a9f5cd@asip120>
1997-08-13 0:00 ` Mark A Biggar
1997-08-13 0:00 ` HARRY R. ERWIN
[not found] ` <3404215f.0@news.uni-ulm.de>
1997-08-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-07-18 0:00 safetran
1997-07-18 0:00 ` Stanley Allen
1997-07-19 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-07-20 0:00 ` Paul Van Bellinghen
1997-07-21 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-07-19 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-07-21 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-07-28 0:00 ` W. Wesley Groleau x4923
1997-07-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-07-29 0:00 ` dcw
1997-07-30 0:00 ` Steve Jones - JON
1997-07-30 0:00 ` HARRY R. ERWIN
1997-07-31 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-07-31 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-08-01 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-08-03 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-05 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-07-31 0:00 ` Richard A. O'Keefe
1997-07-31 0:00 ` HARRY R. ERWIN
1997-07-31 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-08-02 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-02 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-08-03 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-01 0:00 ` William Clodius
1997-08-01 0:00 ` William Clodius
[not found] ` <5s6ng4$rq7$1@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au>
1997-08-07 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-08-11 0:00 ` Richard A. O'Keefe
1997-08-11 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-07-19 0:00 ` robin
1997-07-23 0:00 ` Adam Beneschan
1997-07-22 0:00 ` Nasser
1997-07-23 0:00 ` Valerio Bellizzomi
1997-08-01 0:00 ` robin
1997-08-02 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
[not found] ` <5s6q6b$f3$1@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au>
1997-08-09 0:00 ` Ejon
1997-08-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-11 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-08-17 0:00 ` robin
1997-08-17 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-22 0:00 ` robin
[not found] ` <5u3c69$5tj$1@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au>
1997-08-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-30 0:00 ` robin
1997-09-08 0:00 ` Richard A. O'Keefe
1997-09-17 0:00 ` robin
1997-07-20 0:00 ` Odo Wolbers
1997-07-21 0:00 ` Anonymous
1997-07-21 0:00 ` safetran
1997-07-22 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-07-22 0:00 ` Nasser
1997-07-23 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-07-27 0:00 ` jorgie
1997-07-28 0:00 ` Peter Hermann
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