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Date:	Sun, 15 Feb 2004 12:41:13 PST8
From:	"Gregory W. Smith" <gsmith@well.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Programming: PL/I most important statement (was: call(TZ) ? - PL/I)

Content Type: text/plain

Lynn Maxson wrote:
> Like Bob I am not here to dictate programming (or
> engineering) style. I happen to believe that the intelligibility
> of the code, if anything, is more important to the reader than
> the writer...who at some later moment finds the roles
> reversed. If it were important to allocate everything at the
> beginning of a code segment and free it at the end, I still
> have only one 'allocate' and 'free' statement necessary...with
> a clarity for the non-PL/I-familiar reader not available on
> encountering a begin-end sequence.

Here is where we agree completely: "intelligibility ... is more
important to the reader than the writer." The readers of MY code
are chemical engineers first. Knowledge of various classes of
storage and memory allocation are of secondary concern to them.
On the other hand, your readers (I would assume) are computer
scientists/programmers first. They will find clarity with
explicit 'allocation' and 'free' statements.

> You do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I'm happy that
> PL/I gives you that which you cannot find elsewhere. I regret
> that this travel to nirvana has taken you this long to get
> there. Now you know why Bob and I and others prefer PL/I to
> other choices. Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard? I wish. Most of the colleges where I was a student
were CDC, DEC, Univac, or other non-IBM shops. My first job out of
college was in an IBM shop where I was glad to use PL/I. Most of my
jobs since then have been in mixed environments--the business people
had IBM mainframes; the engineers had VAXen, Suns, Unices, Cybers, or
(for the fortunate few) Crays. So, when you come down to it, most
of what I do is still Fortan or C.
--
Gregory W. Smith (WD9GAY) gsmith@well.com

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