Subj : Translating Case From Ba
To   : Mike Luther
From : Murray Lesser
Date : Wed Feb 14 2001 04:43 am

(Mike Luther wrote to David Noon on 02-13-01, topic: "Translating Case
From Bas") 

Hi Mike--

 DN> Having written all that, I cannot let pass the 
 DN> opportunity to point out that you have chosen the 
 DN> wrong language for your task. PL/I is supported on all 
 DN> the platforms you have mentioned and its SELECT 
 DN> statement allows everything BASIC's does and more. For 
 DN> me, the choice of PL/I would have taken very few brain 
 DN> cycles.
  >                                       \ ?
  >Did *NOT* realize PL/I is in DOS ???   (!)  <- Pup scratching ear

    David really works hard at proselytizing for PL/I :-).  He got me
hooked in 1995 and I've never turned back; I have forgotten most of the
C that I ever knew.

    I'm not sure about a PL/I for DOS, but there is a subset of PL/I for
CP/M, if you are still using that system, somewhere :-).

    However, if you are not in too much of a hurry at run time, you
could write your application in REXX.  (Due to unfortunate circumstances
that should have been under my control, I now need Object Rexx for
Windows in a Win98 partition; you will find it on one of the DevCon
discs in that suitcase.)  REXX has the same SELECT construct as does
PL/I.  (REXX was derived, in part, from PL/I; in the same sense that the
original line-by-line-compiled Dartmouth BASIC was derived from
FORTRAN.)  I got my copy of REXX for DOS (Personal REXX v 3.0 by Quercus
Systems) in 1991.  It may still be available.

    It is fairly easy to port applications between PL/I and REXX,
although there are constructs in REXX that are not available in PL/I
(e.g., I had to write a PL/I subroutine using a KBD API call to get an
equivalent to SysGetKey('noecho') in order to program "Press any key to
continue" in PL/I).

    Oh yes: I have a few programs written in BASIC PDS 7.1, compiled for
DOS, that run fine under OS/2 in a VDM.  One of these days, if I live
long enough, I will reprogram them in PL/I for OS/2.

    Regards,

        --Murray
<Team PL/I>
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