New-fangled languages (was: BASIC - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

12 May 1999

Upon the date 07:51 AM 5/12/99 -0700, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) said something
like:
...
   >>    
I'm interested in the old line numbered  basics.  Are there any web
 >>sites or email lists regarding programming in the old basic  languages?  
 >Yipes, I thought they were all that way. ;) Then again I learned basic on a
 >Data General via teletype. What sort of questions do you have? On Wed, 12 May
1999, Christian Fandt wrote:
  Gee Stephanie, that question makes some of us
feel *old*! :-) 
 Us 'older folks' learned BASIC back in the old days and knew it as always
 having line numbers then. Mike falls within "our group" it appears. 
So, it's true!?  There really are new dialects of BASIC without
line numbers!  And dialects of FORTRAN that don't require a FORMAT
statement!   And did you hear about "Visual COBOL"?? 
Yep! Imagine that! 

...

What is this world coming to? 
It's plumb gone to Hell in a handbasket! :)

Seriously, the newer compilers/interpreters for the old time languages such
as BASIC, FORTRAN, etc. are benefiting from new ideas introduced in the new
generation of languages.  This is of course possible not just because of
new thinking but because cheaper memory and cheaper mass storage allows
code to be added which implement those new fangled ideas. Kinda gotten out
of hand nowadays it seems judging from the amount of code bloat found in
some new compilers.

Back in the early days when every single byte of RAM and disk storage
counted, no matter what new idea came along it was hard to implement as it
had to be supported by hardware resources. And those resources were either
not invented yet or way too expensive for the majority of users.

...

--
Grumpy Ol' Fred        cisin(a)xenosoft.com 
Regards,  Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt,         Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY  USA      cfandt(a)netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
        URL: http://www.ggw.org/awa