macrakis@harvard.ARPA (Stavros Macrakis) (01/11/85)
`Computer Language' magazine (not to be confused with `Computer Languages', a scholarly journal) is a new magazine devoted to programming languages on microcomputers. It is a poor magazine, reflecting the sea of ignorance about computer science in general and programming languages in particular among the microcomputer crowd. The usual solecisms appear, e.g. the confusion of a language with its implementation(s), and, though obeisance is periodically paid to Knuth and Dijkstra, no one writing the articles seems to know much. The writing is slick. This review is based on the January issue, with articles on "Macros and Procedures", "The IIIrd Dimension--Programming in dBase III", "Extensibility in Forth", "A Structured Fortran", and "Program in Style", along with departments. So if you want (or need) to keep up with language implementations on microcomputers, you might have to get this rag. The ads are there. Otherwise, stay away. Computer Language monthly, $24/year, $2.95/issue 2443 Fillmore St., Suite 346 San Fransisco, CA 94115