Where did John Ehrman write that? I didn't receive the e-mail and it's not in the archives (that I find). I'd like to read the entire note.
"Imposing one's perhaps parochial episteme" is a lovely turn of phrase but it's a straw man. No one has proposed an imposition; I have proposed an option. It's no more an imposition than any other option that someone may choose not to use. Nor for that matter have I called its lack a deficiency. Saying "it would be nice if my wife cooked a steak for dinner" is not to say that she is deficient until or unless she does so. I disagree that macros are the answer. Macros are wonderful things and I have written many of them. However: - It is hard for me to picture a macro that would solve the problem of giving a warning if a halfword instruction referenced a field defined as a fullword -- unless you suppose writing an entire "language" with the macros (which can be done, and might be a good thing, but it's not the same thing). - Macros introduce another whole layer of possible errors. A programmer looking for an error must consider not only whether the source code as written is in error, but also whether the macro might be in error. (This is especially true for home-grown macros.) - Most importantly, macros -- if the program is to be maintained -- must be enhanced, supported, and documented. Any competent assembler programmer who may pick up my code knows what an LH does. Will s/he know what MILLSMAC FUNC=GETSTOR does? Will s/he know how to maintain it or modify it? Far better to have an optional (and usually silent) enhancement to the assembler's processing of LH. Charles -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of john gilmore Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2006 5:51 PM To: IBM-MAIN@BAMA.UA.EDU Subject: Re: assembler question (strong typing) John Ehrman writes (of strong typing): > > I know of no HLL that can do this. With macros, it's easy. > and this of course is the point. Less time spent lamenting putative, and always controversial, deficiencies of the HLASM and more time spent writing macros that embody and implement their writer's views of how it should behave differently would be highly desirable. One's own macros may do what one wants them to do witrhout imposing one's own perhaps parochial episteme on others. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
