Re: No Go To's Forever!

[Brian Rogoff <bpr@shell5.ba.best.com>]

On Thu, 23 Mar 2000, Michael P. Walsh wrote:
> Jeff Carter wrote:
> > I think the message that started this was a troll; I'm sure the author
> > is please at the response generated.
> 
> If you follow some of the more highly publicized comments of
> Dijkstra over the years you will find he has labeled some excellent
> advice with some pithy and over-simplified comments.
> 
> He also has made some comments about anthromorphizing
> computer software designations that, in my opinion, are
> just sheer old fogyism.

Yes, Ada should have been named after a computer, naming a computer 
language after a person is a digusting anthropomorphism. Indeed, even 
calling them computer "languages" is a horrible mistake according to 
Wirth. 

> As far as trolls go, Dijkstra is something of an academic
> troll.

Well sure, but his trolls are usually pretty funny, and that's quite an 
achievement considering that he's Dutch. 

Hmmm, I wonder if the original troller was Edsger Dijkstra himself? 
Probably not, he would have been more inventive, and attacked the 
omission on out mode functions, or the inclusion of ATC (tip of the 
hat to RBKD) or some other Ada "misfeature", and not tried to cover old 
ground. 

-- Brian

PS: Insert ":-)" after all but one of the preceding sentences