Re: [open-cobol-list] Daydreaming about another language to emit

[Michael Anderson]

On 10/03/2013 10:31 PM, Patrick wrote:
> "thinking" about what other languages might be better then C for
> intermediate generation.
Patrick,
I write this most respectfully, as I do like your enthusiasm, really!

To put it bluntly, You should fully understand the C language before 
contemplating this change.

At least answer the question:
Why is every popular VM/Interpreter, compiler and operating system 
written using C?

Philosophically, programming is the ultimate smoke and mirrors! At it's 
lowest level you are simply manipulating an infinate array of 1's and 
0's, some are machine instructions, other 1's and 0's represent data, 
and the memory addresses of these. Other than writing the machine 
instructions manually, C is the most limitless method to manipulate 
these 1's and 0's. All other popular languages are limited in 
comparison, and rightfully so. C is a Systems Programming language, (not 
recommended for application programming) where the limitations of other 
language are really there to protect the non-Systems Programmer from 
him/her self.  Using C (Not C++) you do not have limitations, or you are 
only limited by your own imagination. Saying C does not support some 
specific syntax is ridiculous, when it is the C code written first that 
allows another languages to have the syntax that they do have. Saying C 
does not support nested functions is like saying that this dang binary 
code does not support nested functions.

The OPP syntax and terminology is implemented by the underlying C code 
that was used to develop OOP in the first place. For example JavaScript, 
everything in JavaScript is an Object, JavaScript functions are Objects 
and they are allowed to be nested. The JavaScript Object is nothing more 
than a C struct containing pointers to memory where you'll find machine 
instructions and data. This is because the underlaying VM was written in 
C. Same example applies to C++, Java, C#, and many others. I don't know, 
some may argue that the Java VM was re-written in pure Java, but then 
you get into the old chicken and egg paradox, and when the debates come 
to an end it is Standard ANSI C (not to be confused with C++ or C#) that 
is the root of all popular languages and operating systems in use today, 
and rightfully so, as of today it is the best tool for the job.

I still see Cobol as one of the best Application Programming languages 
ever. Also I believe that GNU Cobol closely tied to C, with 2.0 
function-id, that we'll be able to emulate OOP. Additionally objects ( 
OBJECT-ID, with the syntax of INVOKE, NEW, and so fourth ) could be 
implemented without the requirement of C++, by making use of the ANSI C 
code that was written/used to implement OPP in C++. And as always, 
depending on how you position all the smoke and mirrors, I could be 
completely wrong, or not!

Respectfully,
Mike.