25 Nov
2007
25 Nov
'07
8:44 p.m.
--------Original Message:
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:09:36 -0500 (EST)
From: der Mouse <mouse at Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
Subject: Re: Programming skills (was: Teaching kids about
computers...)
> Although some people apparently disagree, dBase is
not an application
> program; it's very similar to BASIC (and grew and matured just like
> BASIC did) but with fairly extensive file-handling and
> screen-handling capabilities.
How does that make it "not an application
program"?
I suppose this really amounts to "just what do you
understand an
`application program' to be?". Certainly my own understanding of the
term leaves room for something like dBase (or a Lisp engine, possibly
even with a text editor attached...or for a C compiler...or for that
matter for a BASIC engine).
---------Reply:
You're absolutely correct of course; *any* piece of software written to make
a computer do a certain task, including compilers, assemblers etc. is an
"application program" and I thank you for pointing out that there is no
distinction to be made between an accounting package or an MP3 player
or the software controlling a car's engine and a computer "language" with
defined words and symbols, rules of grammar and syntax etc. designed and
used specifically to "program" some of those very applications (and which I
mis-understood to be something distinct from an "application program")...
And of course there's no categorical difference either between a hammer
and saw and the chest of drawers one might build with them; both items
intended for a specific "application."
I've learned an important lesson (mainly: to as of right now try *very hard* to
stop wasting time with these picayune "discussions") and I thank you again.
m