Classic programming

[Jay Jaeger]

On 8/8/2015 5:47 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
> On 08/08/2015 12:13 PM, Jay Jaeger wrote:
>> I have always felt that the language name is SNOBOL, with multiple
>> versions, kind of like FORTRAN II (which is what the 1410 had),
>> FORTRAN IV, FORTRAN V, etc., but Griswold seems to think otherwise.
>> ;)
> 
> I think the test would be "Can language x+1 run, without substantial
> modification, programs written in language x?"  If the answer is "no",
> then languages x and x+1 are separate languages, and not compatible
> dialects of the same language.
> 
> So FORTRAN IV would be a compatible dialect of FORTRAN II (mostly at any
> rate, FII vendors had a nasty habit of adding their own features
> willy-nilly, as did FIV).  I think Codasyl was first to clamp down on
> "the default is the standard as we say it is", then FORTRAN followed.
> 

Actually, with FORTRAN II to IV: not.  I spent quite a lot of time
translating FORTRAN stuff back in the day.  COMMON blocks were always
handled differently, IO Formats differed, binary IO differed, etc. etc.

> However, I'd submit that F95 is a separate language, as it can't run
> FIV, F66 or F77 programs without modification as it doesn't understand
> ASSIGN-ed GOTOs as well as H-type (Hollerith) FORMAT specs.
> 
> --Chuck
>