Re: Adoption of new RPG techniques

[James Rich <james@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joe Pluta wrote:
> > From: James Rich
> >
> > /free breaks you free from the limited number of characters available
> > for variable names.  To use such a field you need free format code
> > (unless you use the "loose fixed format" of eval+extended factor 2).
>
>
> I use long names all the time.  I don't know why you think extended
> factor two is somehow not part of RPG; my agrument is that the extended
> factor two is what makes /free superfluous.  In fact, in my article I
> suggest a minor extension to extended factor two to support some of the
> older opcodes in order to remove your valid criticism of the factor 1
> limitation:
>
> http://www.mcpressonline.com/mc?1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@.6ae72624

Your article nicely sums up your statements and gives a good and well 
written example of how you would like things to go.

I'm not sure why you think that I believe that the extended factor 2 is 
not part of RPG.  I never said or implied any such thing.

I think I see where our two points of view differ.  Your article nicely 
points out a method that makes the free format precompiler directive 
(/free) unnecessary.  IOW, I understand your point to be that you are 
not against free format style coding, but against the /free directive.

My point is that since it is the free format style of the extended 
factor 2 that we all like (and indeed use all the time) that fixed 
format style coding is what is superfluous.  All the arguments against 
free format code with the exception of your MOVE argument rely on making 
use of the free format capabilities of the extended factor 2.  So it 
seems truly odd to me that there are people who are against free format 
code when they use it all the time (and like it - in fact prefer it as 
long as it starts in column 36).

> SURPRISE!

Indeed - and a pleasant one

> Have you actually tried using fixed format RPG IV, James?  You seem to

Yes, all day long.  But assuming I said something that was true, would 
my background somehow make it false?

> be mixing your thoughts of what you'd like a language to be
> (dereferencing, commas between parameters) and the reality of /free
> syntax, as well as some basic misunderstandings about how fixed format
> RPG IV works.

Yes, I did address more issues than free vs. fixed format.  I thought I 
preferenced those with something along the lines of "While not directly 
free format..."  As for the commas, I apologize.  I had just been coding 
some C and it stuck.

James Rich