Re: Is this the Free-Format that we asked for?

Richard Jackson wrote:
 
> GOTOs cannot be universally removed unless you substitute a new variable -
> this is not my opinion, it is provable fact.  I don't really care about the
> new variable per se but it means that old code containing GOTOs cannot be
> automatically migrated to the new format - someone has to manually go in and
> either make the change or, at least, review the work of a tool.  GOTOs can
> be pernicious but if you remove them from the language, you have to do more
> work to use the new language spec.  I personally think that they should be
> left in.  There are things that GOTO does better than anything else.

Bingo.  You said that much better than I.  The first thing that crossed
my mind when informed of the new free format spec was that someone will
write a tool to do automatic conversion with indent, etc.  This would
hasten the use of the new free format.  If GOTO is not supported under
free format, however, that will cause problems with this conversion
tool.

> If
> someone else is afflicted with bad GOTO programming, it is not so much the
> fault of the statement as the fault of the design or "the eye of the
> beholder".

Bingo again.

-- 
-Jeff
The opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily 
the opinion of my company.  Unless I say so.
+---
| This is the RPG/400 Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to RPG400-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to RPG400-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to RPG400-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---