Re: MI as the MI language of the as400.

although complexity keeps rearing its ugly head, there are now and
then a healthly backlash:
1) GOTO statements can be used to implement any control structure
we want. We have learned that this is bad and tend to avoid GOTOs
(structured programming). We can't handle arbitrary control structures.
2) Pointers can be used to implement any data structure we want. We
have learned that this is bad and modern languages (like Java) avoid
pointers. We can't handle the complexity in arbitrary data structures.
3) Network databases can be used to implement any type of data
dependency. We have learned that this is bad and to use only the
simple dependencies afford by SQL. We can't handle arbitrary data
dependencies.

The common thread is that we should not want absolute and fine-
grained control over everything because we can't handle it. ILE
gives us enormeous power over how control and structure a
runtime environment, but we can't handle arbitrary runtime
environments.

(by "arbitrary" I everywhere mean "arbitrarily complex and fine-grained")