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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
Message-ID: <96090415425634@psavax.pwfl.com>#1/1
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sender: Ada programming language <INFO-ADA@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU>
comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
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newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
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Date: 1996-09-04T00:00:00+00:00
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++ 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
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