Re: CL pgm and pointer variables

[Hans Boldt <boldt@xxxxxxxxxx>]

rob=tksaTn4SAz0AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org wrote:
> The User space API's are an excellent reason for pointers.  The code is
> actually MORE maintainable with pointers than with the repetitious calls
> to QUSRTVUS.
I would argue that using system API's, such as the user space API's,
falls into the realm of "systems programming", and so more
appropriate for C language programming.

The functionality offered by the system API's can certainly be used
in the construction of higher-level services useful to application
programmers. But application programmers really shouldn't have to
deal directly with the system API's, IMO.

(I've been referring to "modern" languages in this thread. In Java,
Perl, and Python, it is possible to call functions written in C if
the need arises to access low level system API's (if there aren't
already existing wrappers for those API's).)

I suppose I view the issue in stark black and white terms: If you
need to use pointers, you're doing "systems programming". If you are
doing "applications programming", you shouldn't have to use pointers.

Cheers!  Hans