'goto" gone from computer languages or is it!

[Tom Jennings]

On Thu, 12 May 2005, Allison wrote:

> Basic is a language that is easy to code badly.

THat's an understatement! :-)

> I'm one of the few that was mostly BASIC and ASM until UCSD P-system
> and decided to learn a "structured" language.  I was eye opening the
> difference coding learned.  After that I tried writing basic using
> block structure and treating goto and return like Call and JUMP with
> better looking results. I can see the effect it had looking at some
> of my really old code.
>
> I agree with an earlier post.  BASIC improperly can rot your mind,
> it's bad drugs for programmers.

I write "BASIC" today -- in PICs. The compilers are often
appropriate for the target machine -- a non-orthogonal processor
with no real addressing modes, etc. The compiler just generates
(not very good) inline code and links in library functions.

I write very structured and hopefully readable code in PIC BASIC.
I use knowledge of the chip and the compiler to "optimize" (eg.
avoid * and / if at all possible (usually).

The bottom line is: Programming is programming. You do good work,
or shit work, your choice! It's a poor workmammal who blames their
tools!

(Though around computers there are truly bad tools... :-)