[net.lang.pascal] Pascal and GOTO statements

joel@decwrl.DEC.COM (Joel McCormack) (07/24/86)

I knew sooner or later someone was going to complain about using GOTO in
Pascal.

Pascal is severely handicapped by the non-definition of boolean expression
evaluation, as well as the lack of a general loop construct.

I used to use dummy boolean variables to get around these problems.  After
programming in Modula-2 awhile, I decided that the dummy booleans obscured
the code more that a simple GOTO did.

In any case, Niklaus has defined Modula-2, so I consider discussions like
this moot.  If you want to complain, at least complain about what Modula-2
can't do; discussions of Pascal's problems are out of date.

-- 
- Joel McCormack {ihnp4 decvax ucbvax allegra}!decwrl!joel
		 joel@decwrl.arpa

hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Charles Hedrick) (07/24/86)

I have no objection to a single GOTO to exit a loop.  I do object to
   for ...
	if ...
		goto 111
   foo;
   goto 222;
111: 
   bar;
222:
   That's getting too much like spaghetti.
   

marty@ism780c.UUCP (Marty Smith) (07/28/86)

In article <5411@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Charles Hedrick) writes:
>I have no objection to a single GOTO to exit a loop.  I do object to
>   for ...
>	if ...
>		goto 111
>   foo;
>   goto 222;
>111: 
>   bar;
>222:
>   That's getting too much like spaghetti.
>   

Of course the above looks like spaghetti.  It has no meaning.  Its purpose
is to show how bad gotos are.

Any program can be written poorly.  The fault lies with the programmer, not
in his use of gotos.

				Martin Smith