ftp.cs.arizona.edu/ftp.cs.arizona.edu.tar/ftp.cs.arizona.edu/icon/newsgrp/group92c.txt/000086_icon-group-sender _Mon Nov 16 08:26:47 1992.msg

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-04 | 2KB

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Date: 16 Nov 1992 08:26:47 -0600 (CST)
From: Chris Tenaglia - 257-8765 <[e-mail]>
Subject: semicolons revisited?
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Organization: Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI)
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In case any one really really likes semicolons on a string processing language
DEC now offers TPU (text processing utility) for its VAX and RISC boxes. Asoft
offers nu/TPU for other platforms.

TPU has a lot of icon and snobol string concepts yet it enforces semicolons at
the end of the statements. But like pascal it also uses begin and end instead
of curly braces for blocking. No generators, no fail/succeess handling. But
it has an interesting property. All variables declared have scope local to
their procedures. All variables created by operations (not predeclared) have
global scope. This language is the foundation of an editor called EVE. It
allows one to do string programming in a full screen editor environment. I've
used it to customize my editor to do herculean feats.

I still prefer icon for stream crunching, front ending, and game design.
The lack of semicolons, required declarations, and datatypes are the features
that drew me to icon, and that improve my productivity.

Chris Tenaglia (System Manager) |  "The past explained,
Medical College of Wisconsin    |   the future fortold,
8701 W. Watertown Plank Rd.     |   the present largely appologized for."
Milwaukee, WI 53226             |   Organon to The Doctor
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