On 29/12/2017 18:11, Chris Angelico wrote:
On Sat, Dec 30, 2017 at 4:13 AM, bartc <b...@freeuk.com> wrote:
If you want to translate code from one language to another, and the source
language uses gotos, or uses control structures not available in the target
language, then gotos would be very useful in the latter.
As has already been said in this thread, a competent FORTRAN
programmer can write FORTRAN code in any language. But if you want to
actually write Python code, instead of writing FORTRAN code that gets
run through a Python interpreter, you have to grok the Python way of
doing things.
That's not true. People should be able to write code as they like using
the nearest available language and using the style they are most adept
in and that they find comfortable. /Especially/ if they are coding for
themselves rather as part of some organisation or within a team.
The choice of language may enforce some changes, but that should be the
extent of it.
A lot of the so-called 'Pythonic' style I frankly don't care for.
I like to write code in a simple, clean, universal style that everyone
can understand.
That doesn't mean it has to look like Fortran.
You can't do that by mechanically transforming source
code into the syntax of a different language.
(Actually that's exactly what a project of mine from a few years ago was
trying to do.
Example of 'binary trees' benchmark:
source syntax: https://pastebin.com/raw/bgfKw2pq
generated Python: https://pastebin.com/raw/XJWjWzpw)
Here, you normally had to be aware when writing in the source language,
of what target language you were using. Although sometimes exactly the
same source translated to several targets including Python and Lisp.
Anyway, this was unsatisfactory as a universal syntax that could be
translated to any language.)
People who try to tell you that all programming languages are
identical, just with different syntax, are doing you a disservice.
Lisp is not Python is not REXX is not C is not DeScribe Macro
Language. (Especially the latter. Do NOT try to write C code in DML.
It'll look ugly. Trust me.
My experiment showed that such people have a point.
--
bartc
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