[net.lang.c] FORTRAN and Real Programmers

udougc@ecsvax.UUCP (07/11/84)

<----------------->

Reprinted without permission from a local TRS-80 newsletter.....

     Real Programmers do List Processing in FORTRAN.
     Real Programmers do String Manipulation in FORTRAN.
     Real Programmers do Accounting (if they do it at all!!) in FORTRAN.
     Real Programmers do Artificial Intellegence programs in FORTRAN.
       If you can't do it in FORTRAN, do it in Assembly Lang. or its not
          worth doing.

     Since FORTRAN doesn't have structured IF, REPEAT..  UNTIL, or CASE
     statements, Real Programmers don't have to worry about not using them.
     Besides, all those structures can be simulated, when necessary by
     using assigned GOTO's.


Attributed to S.Basset, source unknown.............

                                Doug. C.

ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (07/12/84)

Actually, when I was a real FORTRAN programmer, I did my string
manipulation in assembler.

-Ron

ags@pucc-i (Seaman) (07/14/84)

The article by S. Bassett is called "Real Programmers Don't Write Pascal"
and appeared in USUS News and Report for December, 1983.  "USUS" is the
UCSD p-System User's Society.

Other quotes from the Bassett article (also without permission):

	"The Real Programmer is in danger of becoming extinct, of being
	replaced by high-school students with TRS-80's."

	"UNIX is a lot more complicated of course -- the typical UNIX
	hacker never can remember what the print command is called this
	week.  But when it gets right down to it, UNIX is a glorified
	video game.  People don't do serious work on UNIX systems -- they
	send jokes around the world on UUCP-net, and write adventure games
	and research papers."

	"If you ignore the fact that it's structured, even C programming
	can be appreciated by Real Programmers.  After all, there's no
	type checking, variable names are seven (ten? eight?) characters
	long, and the added bonus of the Pointer data type is thrown in
	-- like having the best parts of FORTRAN and assembly language
	in one place (not even talking about #define)."
-- 

Dave Seaman			My hovercraft is no longer full of 
..!pur-ee!pucc-i:ags		eels (thanks to my confused cat).