OpenEuphoria

Re: EOF and GOTO and 0th array element

• Posted by acran at readout.fsnet.co.uk Aug 25, 2002
• 536 views

At 13:25 25/08/02 -0500, you wrote:
<snip>
>Basicly, i would pay to see goto in Eu, and i *do* buy registered Eu. Like 
>anything else, if you don't want to use it, don't. No one is forcing you
to play 
>chess or basketball or use goto. It would be insignificant to the size or
speed 
>of Eu to add goto, and i seriously doubt anyone would quit using Eu because 
>of it. 
>
>Kat
<snip>

I'm no fan of goto but I agree with you Kat that if Euphoria had a goto I
wouldn't really complain now (my opinion is mellowing).  I learnt to
program with BASIC and used (and no doubt abused) the goto statement.  Well
in BASIC you had to.

I then learnt machine code (Z80 and then 6502).  Because I could directly
apply my programming techniques of BASIC (assignment, math, testing
conditions and conditional branching) into machine code it was easier to
pick up than I thought.

Then I went to study Computer Science and we were all "weaned" off BASIC,
told that GOTO was bad and that "structured" languages like Pascal were
best.  Well I learnt Pascal the way "they" wanted us to and it was an
education.  I like to code in the "structured way" now but I'm not
advocating we all do so and that if we don't we are somehow BAD.

And anyway Pascal _HAS_ a goto statement.  I can't recall the exact syntax
because I never used it - mainly because it was a sure fire way to have
your assignment downgraded 

Now I think of it C has a goto in it somewhere.  It behaves even more badly
via the longjmp.h include file.  But wait, I code in C as well (well when I
have to) but I never use goto.

So basically I don't mind if Euphoria has goto.  It won't bother me because
I won't use it.  And guess what, I won't moan if anyone does use it 

It could be argued that the more structured folks will be upset when they
have to look at unstructured code (i.e. code with goto statements).  Well
maybe you might have a point but just because code is structured (and I
mean in this sense it is "goto" free) doesn't mean it is any more readable
than code with a few gotos in it.  Proof?  Hey I can send you some of my
Euphoria code that'll have you wincing and thinking "who the blazes codes
like this?" where there isn't a goto in sight 

Regards,

Andy Cranston.