Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihnet.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihnet!tjr From: tjr@ihnet.UUCP (Tom Roberts) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: goto-s in programming-languages Message-ID: <135@ihnet.UUCP> Date: Tue, 12-Jun-84 16:53:54 EDT Article-I.D.: ihnet.135 Posted: Tue Jun 12 16:53:54 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 13-Jun-84 02:01:34 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 18 Several articles have discussed the necessity of including goto-s in (new) programming-languages. Others have said that you need them to: 1) exit from deeply-nested structures (loops). 2) handle error conditions efficiently. I believe that a third reason overshadows these two: code generators. I have written several pre-processors, for both FORTRAN and C, which rely heavily upon using goto-s; avoiding goto-s would have enormously complicated them. This is an appealing method for creating application- specific languages quickly, and I think that a major component of the "new wave" in computer programming will involve application-specific languages. Leaving goto-s out of the underlying general-purpose language would be a major mistake. Tom Roberts ihnp4!ihnet!tjr