4 ms·

What makes syntax "modern"? Power matters more than style.

• mgaunard 3y ago
  All imperative languages are essentially descended from ALGOL, but in the case of Pascal, it also kept its original syntax. Others have moved on.
  • coldtea 3y ago
    Yes they have "moved on". Which is why Alsol was "a language so far ahead of its time, that it was not only an improvement on its predecessors, but also on nearly all its successors.” — Tony Hoare.
    • fuzztester 3y ago
      Too good quote :)
    • aap_ 3y ago
      - no struct/record type - call by name instead of call by reference - no bitwise operators - probably a lot more, I'm not too familiar with the language The quote may have been closer to the truth at some point, but certainly not today. And while begin/end syntax may be a matter of taste I don't think it's coincidence it's not very common anymore.
      • coldtea 3y ago
        Of course it's not true today [1]. That's a 70s or 80s quote. But still, "moving on" is not always "improving upon" was the point. [1] Well, mostly not true (the author has backed down somewhat, but the post is still illuminating as a comparison): http://cowlark.com/2009-11-15-go/ http://cowlark.com/2009-11-15-go/