Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site SCIRTP.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!SCIRTP!ned From: ned@SCIRTP.UUCP (Ned Robie) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: C programming style Message-ID: <216@SCIRTP.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 18:14:49 EDT Article-I.D.: SCIRTP.216 Posted: Fri Jul 12 18:14:49 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 15:28:57 EDT References: <11434@brl-tgr.ARPA> Organization: SCI Systems, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 25 > Progams should be as language-independent as possible. It shouldn't > matter whether the program is in C, Pascal, Ada, or even the dreaded > APL, but that it can be understood by *anyone* who needs to look at the > program. If you limit that *anyone* to "experienced C programmers", > you're limiting the possibilities of that program. > > Dan /* comments are of course welcome */ I disagree. If programs were written to be as "language-independent" as possible, what kind of languages would we be using??? Wouldn't this have the net effect of significantly slowing the evolution of computer language? I mainly program in C and Pascal, but I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to learn and use APL. It is a unique language with many good ideas. It is not perfect, but then no language is. It is not effective in all applications; no language that I'm aware of is. But I found it to be a refreshing, exciting, and fun(!) way to solve problems. Best of all, it made me a better programmer. The short-term benefits of *everyone* programming in compliance with the current popular semantic model are appealing, but the long-term results would be to retard the research and development of other forms of human/ computer communication. In light of the fact that many of today's problems cannot be adequately expressed to a machine, this would be a grave mistake. -- Ned Robie