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From: rav@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au (++           robin)
Subject: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?
Date: 1996/07/25
Message-ID: <4t6hrs$kid@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 169986047
references: <sperlman-0507961717550001@p121.ezo.net>
organization: Comp Sci, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia
newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.pl1
nntp-posting-user: rav
Date: 1996-07-25T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


	dewar@cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) writes:

	>"An algorithm is just a set of instructions on how to accomplish a task. An
	>algorithm does not depend at all on any sort of programming "language". In
	>fact, I was taught that you should write out your "game plan" and psuedo
	>code before you even touch any sort of syntax in any language. Yes, I do
	>tend to write up my psuedo-code in a C-like syntax frequently but you
	>don't need to.

	>     Loop until variable is equal to 7
	>        Add 1 to variable
	>        Print out the following string to screen: ;-)
	>        end of loop

	>There's an algorithm written in plain english."

---To be an algorithm, it must be definite.  This one isn't.
The variable "variable" must be intialized.

	>First of all "pseudo-code" is still written in a language, which has syntax
	>and semantics. The trouble with an algorithm written in "plain english"
	>like the above is that it is imprecise. For example does the string that
	>is written to screen include a leading blank? I have no idea from the above.

	>If variable is 2**32-1, does the above still work? I have no idea.

	>Are the strings on separate lines of the screen? I have no idea.

	>writing

	>   while variable /= 7 loop
	>      variable := variable + 1;
	>      put_line (";-)");
	>   end loop;

	>is less writing than you did, just as clear, and importantly, exactly
	>precise

---This isn't any more of an algorithm than that of the
previous writer.  The variable "variable" still isn't
initialized.

Now, how about:

	DO I = 1 TO 7 BY 1;
		PUT SKIP LIST ( ';-)' );
	END;

is abundantly clear that the loop is being executed with
clear start and finish values of the control variable.
Furthermore, the loop will be executed exactly 7 times.

Might be better to consider learning PL/I . . .