Re: CF -Specs (was: "x-Spec")

[John Hall <jhall@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Evan Harris wrote:
> 
> John Hall wrote:
> >
> >What do those unary operators do?
> >
> 
> Confuse the logic, remove some of the self documenting features of code...
> 
> I honestly can't see what having counter++ adds to the language. Sure, it
> saves a few keystrokes; sure, it makes you feel like yourd doing C; sure,
> it shows you are in the know.
> 
> But, when you are trying to debug the code, or someon else is, its not
> nearly so intuitive as to what it's actually doing.
> 
> To me it *implies* an add operation, rather then explicitly stating it,
> seems to me this is *bad*
> 

I don't get this logic at all ????
If  x++ is DEFINED in the language then it does not *imply* anything. 
Any more than x = x + 1 *implies* that you are adding 1 to x.  ++ is
*explicitly* stating it.

The idea behind the unary operators is not to save typing but to
increase readability.  

x++  

vs

x = x + 1

or

eval x = x + 1

or 

           ADD          1        X

Which one can be scanned more quickly and picked out of a source listing
more easily ? 

Well anyway I think it would be a nice feature to add.  The idea being
to borrow the best from other languages to improve RPG.  Of course what
IBM really needs to do is borrow a page from M$ and rename it to RAPG
tm. (Rapid Application Program Generator).  Call it all new and improved
etc.  Greatest thing since Al Gore invented the internet ....

This would probably be more effective in making it "cool" than any
syntax changes they could make in the next 5 years.

Some of the features:
Full backward compatability
Context sensitive prompting
Embedded SQL
Fantastic File I/O routines built in.
  - Automatic record/variable declarations.
Sophisticated Error Handling.
runs on the latest 64 bit machines - the IIAS400 (Integrated Internet
Application Server)
etc
etc
etc

Oh wait - we have all that ... 

John Hall
Home Sales Co.
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