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Free format is great. It makes it possible that all kind of programmers that have learned nasty languages as C, Java and so on can also create things on the AS/400 in the best language there is and in that way bringing new blood to the developers pool on the AS/400. Because of Free they understand what they are doing. For me that is the only reason why Free exist (and that is a very good reason)! It is in no way a reason to start all kinds of wars between FixedFormat lovers and Free addicts. We can all exist without problems along each other. If FreeFormat lovers think Free is more natural (because that is the way they have learned coding and they do not know nothing else), my pleasure. If FixedFormat addict have problems to understand FreeFormat (because they are used to use the location of things to know it's meaning) and refuse to start using extra keystrokes to indicate what means what in Free, so be it. The thing is that Free is not better than Fixed. In Free and Fixed you can create exactly the same. So I normally do things Fixed. Not because I can not other. Back in 1990 I came from C++ to the AS/400 and RPG. Dear I loved that moment. A real DBMS and external defined files, views, screens (do you remember the terrible programs to sort a file, to paint a screen, to....). And the Gum (RPG) to fix it together? OK, Fixed, at first difficult but: - No searches anymore to find the mistyped Upper/Lower case names. - No searches anymore to find the forgotten delimiter, forgotten...., forgotten.... that did not add up to the thing to do, but only to the language..... And now, I can't help, I like fixed. I do not like to type to much. I want to see at ones what what means. I do not feel any constraint, have not any urge to use Free. But do not see any reason why others would not use Free. I could use Free when I think it is appropriate for a very specific part in a program. I won't feel myself silly when I do. Kind regards, Eduard. Chris Payne <CPayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: If you're going to argue that RPG started as fixed format, and therefore should not be used in free format, you could just as easily say that RPG was designed for punch cards, and should not be keyed in using 5250 terminals. Chris Payne -----Original Message----- From: rob@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:rob@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 9:20 AM To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries Subject: Re: converting string to a numeric Can you actually see someone making the argument that an existing free format language needed to be converted into fixed format? If RPG had started out as /free can you imagine people actually arguing for fixed formatting? Are there strong debates in other languages to convert them into fixed format? Rob Berendt -- Group Dekko Services, LLC Dept 01.073 PO Box 2000 Dock 108 6928N 400E Kendallville, IN 46755 http://www.dekko.com |-----------------------------+-------------------------------------------| | "James H H Lampert" | | | | | | Sent by: | To| | rpg400-l-bounces@midrange.| | com | ange.com> | | | cc| | 07/26/2004 05:43 PM | | | | Subject| | Please respond to | Re: | | RPG programming on the | converting st| | AS400 / iSeries | ring to a | | | numeric | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-----------------------------+-------------------------------------------| > Call me old-fashioned but because indicators are such dangerous little > suckers I'd rather see an explicit SETON or SETOFF operation. > > Use numeric operations for numeric operands, character operations for > character operands, and indicator operations for indicator operands. AMEN! And leave languages that are naturally fixed-source-format AS fixed-source-format: if you're working in FORTRAN, for example, you can indent all you want BEYOND Column 7, but keep the statements at or beyond that column, and the continuations in 6, and the labels in 1-5. When a language is designed to have a fixed source format, free-formatting the source just makes it harder to read. You want free-format source? Use Pascal, C, ALGOL, PL/I, LISP, Java, or Modula-2. They're designed for it. -- JHHL -- This is the RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries (RPG400-L) mailing list To post a message email: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options, visit: http://lists.midrange.com/mailman/listinfo/rpg400-l or email: RPG400-L-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives at http://archive.midrange.com/rpg400-l. -- This is the RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries (RPG400-L) mailing list To post a message email: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options, visit: http://lists.midrange.com/mailman/listinfo/rpg400-l or email: RPG400-L-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives at http://archive.midrange.com/rpg400-l. -- This is the RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries (RPG400-L) mailing list To post a message email: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options, visit: http://lists.midrange.com/mailman/listinfo/rpg400-l or email: RPG400-L-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives at http://archive.midrange.com/rpg400-l.
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