Re: DiskBrowser Software - Work In Progress

[dmolony <denis@bytezone.com>]

On Sep 20, 8:23 pm, "Bill Buckels" <bbuck...@mts.net> wrote:
> "dmolony" <de...@bytezone.com> wrote in message
>
> 83c71906-5e75-461c-ad2a-8f40f1fc207d@i24g2000prf.googlegroups.com">news:83c71906-5e75-461c-ad2a-8f40f1fc207d@i24g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>
> >It's my personal preference to break multi-lines up. I just like it better
> >that way :)
>
> The Mind plays its own strange tricks when writing in BASIC (as well as any
> programming language:) Regardless, combining multiple statements on the same
> line degrades the readability of any program regardless of language.
>
> Back in the '80's when I moved away from BASIC with line numbers to compiled
> BASIC with sub-routines and functions, it had long become my personal
> preference to avoid using semi-colons because I absolutely hated needing to
> decipher one-liners. By that time I already wrote my BASIC programs (as well
> as my C and ASM programs, and all my other programs) first in Wordstar in
> non-document (text) mode, then in a programmer's editor. The program was
> first written in its entirety then tested and polished and not just thrown
> together in a haphazard manner.
>
> I also commented my code, and followed standards, planned my programs, and
> polished the finished work before sharing it. Readability was a big issue
> with me and still is.
>
> However, having mellowed a little with age, I now begrudgingly acknowledge
> that non-career programmers who write in BASIC with line numbers and use
> semi-colons and write programs ad-hoc and add lines and statements as an
> after-thought have a right to create unreadable spaghetti-code.
>
> They are victims of the computer manuals and the computer manufacturers like
> Apple, IBM, and cbm who used semi-colons to save paper when listing example
> programs, and who by literally setting nothing but bad examples created a
> worldwide monkey-see-monkey-do epidemic of sloppy unreadable code.
>
> Programmers who use multi-line statements where they do not add to the
> readability of a program should be pitied and not scolded. But then I am
> sure that others feel the same way about career programmers who feel
> strongly about the minutae of style and standards:)
>
> Let's just say that I share the same personal preference and strongly agree
> with you. Your preference would seem to be a good one.
>
> Bill

And try reading those one-line competition winners!