RE: IBM's RPG Strategy (was: Long Procedure Names)

I remember the fourth or fifth issue of PC Magazine back in the early 1980s.
They published a PONG game in 16-LINES of BASIC. Not 16 BASIC commands, but
16 lines... jamming as much onto one line as possible. 
It was interesting then, but too confusing to work with. So more than 80
positions is okay because they really shouldn't be a limit, but it wouldn't
change most programming styles (I hope).

I am trying to think if having blanks in columns 6 and 7 could indicate a
free form statement--IBM does support the forward slash comments // on
"blank" lines even when they are not between /free /end-free statements.
Interesting so I could finally do this:
     C                   if        FieldA = FieldB
                           clear  rcdfmt;
     C                   endif

You might just get me to use it if that were possible!
LOL!

-Bob Cozzi
www.RPGxTools.com
If everything is under control, you are going too slow.
- Mario Andretti


-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Fisher, Don
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 3:28 PM
To: 'RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries'
Subject: RE: IBM's RPG Strategy (was: Long Procedure Names)

The /Free and /End-free don't bother me too much, but it would be nice if
the free-form code could exist in columns 1 through 7 and didn't have to
stop at column 80.  Why have the tags if I'm still limited to the same space
as the fixed-format code?

Donald R. Fisher, III
Project Manager
Roomstore Furniture Company
(804) 784-7600 extension 2124
DFisher@xxxxxxxxxxxxx


<clip>
99% of what bugs me would be dealt with by simply having the compiler
recognize that if cols 6 and 7 are blank - then it is free form.  No /Free
and
no annoying /End-Free at the end of the main line and every subprocedure.
It
is not the fixed form D and F that really annoy me - it is the in-an-out of
/Free.
<clip>
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