From: "Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93" <condicma@PWFL.COM>
Subject: Re: Ada versus PL/I (was: Re: Ariane 5 - not an exception?)
Date: 1996/09/04
Date: 1996-09-04T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <96090415425634@psavax.pwfl.com> (raw)
++ robin <rav@GOANNA.CS.RMIT.EDU.AU> writes:
> >> ---Not really, when people have to ask how to do
> >> a square root [in Ada].
>
> > No serious Ada programmer has to ask such a question.
>
>---In Fortran, BASIC, Pascal, Algol, PL/I, you just
>use it [SQRT]. Nothing special needed.
>
I don't speak PL/I. Is the name of the function for computing a
square root named SQRT, sqrt (case sensitive), SQT, SQUARE_ROOT,
etc.? And what parameter(s) does it take? Real? Double Precision?
Integer? Complex? All of the above? Are they passed by value, or
do I have to get a pointer to the parameters? And what's the
calling syntax, anyway? Some version of assignment from a function
or a procedure with an input and an output parameter? Is the SQRT
function a "language primitive" or does it live in the PL/I
equivalent of a #include file? And when you get the PL/I manual
out, is it emblazoned in bold-faced, 72 point type on Page 1 that
the function is called <whatever> and is used in <whatever>
manner? Boy, this PL/I language must _REALLY SUCK_ because it's
not intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer how to
compute a square root and I'm obviously a victim of bad language
design - not simply too stoopit to R.T.F.M.
In *ANY* language, you can whine about the syntax of this or that
feature being "less convenient" than in some other language. I'll
bet some Apl programmers think that PL/I _SUCKS_ because the
commands are so bleeding long in comparison to what they're used
to? I'll bet there are Basic programmers who hate that you
actually have to declare variables in PL/I (I presume) instead of
simply making them up as you go along? And the fact that you have
to R.T.F.M. before you can use PL/I (or any language) is hardly a
sign of bad language design.
Get over it! Find something *real* to criticize about Ada95.
MDC
Marin David Condic, Senior Computer Engineer ATT: 407.796.8997
M/S 731-96 Technet: 796.8997
Pratt & Whitney, GESP Fax: 407.796.4669
P.O. Box 109600 Internet: CONDICMA@PWFL.COM
West Palm Beach, FL 33410-9600 Internet: CONDIC@FLINET.COM
===============================================================================
"That which belongs to another."
-- Diogenes, when asked what wine he liked to drink.
===============================================================================
next reply other threads:[~1996-09-04 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 21+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1996-09-04 0:00 Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93 [this message]
1996-09-06 0:00 ` Ada versus PL/I (was: Re: Ariane 5 - not an exception?) Robert I. Eachus
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1996-09-05 0:00 Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93
1996-09-04 0:00 Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93
1996-07-25 0:00 Ariane 5 - not an exception? Simon Bluck
1996-07-25 0:00 ` Multiple reasons for failure of Ariane 5 (was: Re: Ariane 5 - not an exception?) Kirk Beitz
1996-07-26 0:00 ` ++ robin
1996-08-05 0:00 ` Darren C Davenport
1996-08-06 0:00 ` U32872
1996-08-07 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1996-08-08 0:00 ` Pascal Martin @lone
1996-08-09 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1996-08-10 0:00 ` dwnoon
1996-08-15 0:00 ` Richard Riehle
1996-08-22 0:00 ` ++ robin
1996-08-31 0:00 ` Ada versus PL/I " Richard Riehle
1996-09-02 0:00 ` ++ robin
1996-09-02 0:00 ` Richard A. O'Keefe
1996-09-03 0:00 ` ++ robin
1996-09-03 0:00 ` Robb Nebbe
1996-09-17 0:00 ` shmuel
1996-09-17 0:00 ` Jay McFadyen
1996-09-18 0:00 ` John McCabe
1996-09-20 0:00 ` shmuel
1996-09-03 0:00 ` J. Kanze
1996-09-07 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1996-09-09 0:00 ` ++ robin
1996-09-09 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1996-09-09 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1996-09-03 0:00 ` ++ robin
1996-09-04 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1996-09-07 0:00 ` ++ robin
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