From: "John Oellrich" 

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Don,

I started with BASIC on a Commodore VIC20 (and therefore I fall under = the
terminally brain damaged camp). The first time I tried to write a =
"Hello World" program on an AT&T PC running GW-BASIC I failed
miserably. = Luckily there was a Bell Labs Engineer (and one I think made =
Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, the equivalent of IBM's =
Fellows program I think) in the office. Asked him to take a look at my =
code. "You might want to use spaces once in a while." Talk about
being = mortified! The VIC with its limited memory didn't have the luxury
of = using spaces, you wrote "GOTOLINE40". I just assumed all
BASICs worked = that way.

--=20
john

john{at}oellrich.us
  "Don Hills"  wrote in message =
news:6GA3DtgaXm5T092yn{at}attglobal.net...
  In article , Tony Williams  =
wrote:
  >
  >Full disclosure: the first programming language I used was BASIC on =
an
  >HP2000 in about 1975.

  I was luckier, then - I started with REXX on a mainframe, in the early =
80's.
  By the time I started using BASIC my programming habits were already
  established. I never considered GOTO an abomination, though - it was
  (and is) an excellent way to write FSMs (Finite State Machines, useful =
for
  parsing and other applications that must handle unpredictable inputs).

  --=20
  Don Hills    (dmhills at attglobaldotnet)     Wellington, New Zealand
  "New interface closely resembles Presentation Manager,
   preparing you for the wonders of OS/2!"
      -- Advertisement on the box for Microsoft Windows 2.11 for 286
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Don,
 
I started with BASIC on a Commodore VIC20 (and therefore I fall =
under the=20
terminally brain damaged camp). The first time I tried to write a
"Hello = World"=20
program on an AT&T PC running GW-BASIC I failed miserably. Luckily
= there was=20
a Bell Labs Engineer (and one I think made Distinguished Member of the = Technical=20
Staff, the equivalent of IBM's Fellows program I think) in the office. = Asked him=20
to take a look at my code. "You might want to use spaces once in a =
while." Talk=20
about being mortified! The VIC with its limited memory didn't have the = luxury of=20
using spaces, you wrote "GOTOLINE40". I just assumed all BASICs
worked = that=20
way.
-- john
 
john{at}oellrich.us">mailto:john{at}oellrich.us">john{at}oellrich.us

  "Don Hills" <black.hole.4.spam{at}gmail.commailto:black.hole.4.spam{at}gmail.com">black.hole.4.spam{at}gmail.com
A>>=20
  wrote in message news:6GA3DtgaXm5T092yn{at}attg=
lobal.net...In=20
  article <43dbe4ee$1{at}w3.nls.net>,">mailto:43dbe4ee$1{at}w3.nls.net">43dbe4ee$1{at}w3.nls.net>,
=
Tony=20
  Williams <tonyw{at}blarg.net>=20">mailto:tonyw{at}blarg.net">tonyw{at}blarg.net>=20
  wrote:>>Full disclosure: the first
programming language =
I used=20
  was BASIC on an>HP2000 in about
1975.I was luckier, =
then - I=20
  started with REXX on a mainframe, in the early 80's.By the time I =
started=20
  using BASIC my programming habits were alreadyestablished. I never =

  considered GOTO an abomination, though - it was(and is) an =
excellent way=20
  to write FSMs (Finite State Machines, useful forparsing and other=20
  applications that must handle unpredictable
inputs).-- Don =

  Hills    (dmhills at =
attglobaldotnet)    =20
  Wellington, New Zealand"New interface closely resembles =
Presentation=20
  Manager, preparing you for the wonders of=20
  OS/2!"    -- Advertisement on
the box for Microsoft =
Windows=20
  2.11 for 286

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