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2022-08-26
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COMAL REVIEW
{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}{CBM-T}
When LOADSTAR first started I
wrote a comment about the language
COMAL. I again want to rave about
it. I have been using the disk load-
ed version for quite sometime and
really love it. I have recently
ordered a cartridge version which will
make programming close to perfect.
COMAL is a structured language which
uses most of the keywords of BASIC
with many added features. It is sim-
ple to use and you can solve problems
just as you do in real life, by break-
ing each task into its major subtasks
and then breaking each of these down
into their parts. Each subtask is
written in the form of a procedure or
function which is named in readable
English.
Procedure and variable names can
have as many characters as you like
making programs very readable to
others. C-64 COMAL also has the
'Turtle Graphics' of LOGO giving HI-
RES capability painlessly. It also
includes many Sprite commands and the
cartridge version will also have sound
commands.
It handles disk files (both
Sequential and Relative) with ease. No
complicated commands. Sequential
files can also be 'appended' easily.
It has automatic line numbering
and listing is done automatically in
an indented fashion highlighting
the program's logical structure. It
has advanced program structures such
as IF-THEN-ELSE, REPEAT-UNTIL,
DO-WHILE and CASE.
I have written a complete state
income tax program in COMAL and am
currently translating a complete
database program which I originally
wrote in BASIC. The lanquage is
modular making modification easy.
It also has superb string handling
capabilities (No Garbage Collection!!)
and is about 70 times faster than
BASIC in string searches. If the
cartridge pans out as I hope I will
probably never use BASIC again. In-
cidently for those familiar with
PASCAL, COMAL uses almost the same
structures, but with no formal var-
iable declarations (other than dim-
sioning of strings and arrays).
I would be interested in knowing
if any of the other LOADSTAR people
have used COMAL and what their com-
ments are. I remember there was one
mention of it in an earlier issue.
Russell Jensen
1652 Euclid Ave.
Camarillo, CA
93010
(805) 482-3875
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