Re: Please vote for Syntax check in /FREE! -- RPG400-L

Having read a IBM RPG Intro book in Spanish (way back when),
translated in Spain, if they had their druthers they'd
probably call it SUMA instead of ADD, CADENA instead of
CHAIN, and EXTNOMBRE(XXX) instead of EXTNAME(). <g>

But they understand RPG real good. In Latin America, at
least informally, instead of the "digito binario" and
"octeto" of Spain's IBM, they call it good old "bit" and
"byte". In fact you tell 'em "octeto" and they look at you
funny and laugh hilariously when it hits them. (This
happened to me).

How about SQL? Do they use SQL? Select fld1, fld2, fld3,...

We have had a lot of added H-spec keywords. Maybe I'll
suggest it too. Let the Europeans keep their colons, it's
too late now anyhow<g>. Besides, who's to say? But they got
their DATMFT(*MDY), and their decimal separator, so how
about equal time for the Yanks (su-thu-nuhs too) and putting
in a "PARMSEP(*COMMA)"?

Just having fun, Hans. Thanks for sharing the story again,
first time I heard it.

- Alan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans Boldt" <boldt@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 1:37 PM
Subject: Re: Please vote for Syntax check in /FREE!


| Bob cozzi wrote:
|
| > Hans,
| > Hans,
| > I can?
| > What is the comma used for in RPG IV?
| > Nothing in RPG IV that I can think of, it does not
exist, does it?
| > Am I having a brain fart? I can code the statement you
specified, but it
| > won't compile.
| >
| >    Callp   myProc(12,17);
| > Huh? Explain, please?
| >
|
| Hi Bob! Well, I for one know for a fact we've discussed
this before.
| It may have been quite a while ago, but we have. I also
remember
| quite clearly the internal discussions that led to the
decision to
| make the colon the parameter separator. So it would appear
that I
| have to bring up that story again.
|
| First, what does "CALLP MYPROC(12,17);" mean? It means
you're
| passing one (1) numeric parameter with four digits and two
decimal
| places. That decimal notation is something that Europeans
are quite
| familiar with, and European programmers were also quite
familiar
| with coding decimal literals with comma decimal separator
in RPG III
| programs (with a particular option on the H-Spec).
|
| Now as you know, the RPG planner at the time was born in
Europe, and
| he felt that allowing the comma as a decimal separator in
RPG IV
| numeric literals was a good idea. Practically all other
compiler
| developers on the team thought the idea stank. I even
brought in a
| pile of cash register receipts saved from various trips to
Europe
| which showed that, although the comma is preferred,
Europeans still
| could handle a period as decimal separator. (Half the
receipts used
| comma, half period.) If European consumers could recognize
the
| period as decimal separator, I argued, then surely
European
| programmers could too. (Regardless of decimal notation
within RPG
| programs, there would always be the choice of comma as
decimal
| separator in edited numbers in the output of RPG
programs.)
|
| Anyways, as you can see, his opinion won out. Which then
meant we
| needed to choose another character as parameter separator.
The colon
| was deemed the least objectionable of the alternatives.
|
| End of story.
|
| Cheers! Hans
|
|
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