[fpc-pascal] Who said Pascal isn't popular

[Henry Vermaak]

2009/10/17 "Vinzent Höfler" <JeLlyFish.software at gmx.net>:
> Graeme Geldenhuys <graemeg.lists at gmail.com>:
>
>> Any programmer worth hiring should find it relatively easy to switch
>> to another language. Or and least become proficient in it in a
>> relative short period of time.  The basic principles apply to all
>> languages, it's just the tool-chain and syntax that differs.
>
> Yes and no. The mindsets of the languages may differ. Try talking about typing with a C-programmer and with an Ada-programmer and you'll see what I mean.
>
> That's why the question should not be: "Which language do you know?", but rather "What other languages do you know?" It tells me more about the mindset of the programmer than any "previous 10-years experience with $LANGUAGE".
>
> That's why here Pascal-programmers generally have a better reputation than C-zealots. In a land where pointers and dynamic memory allocation are (mostly) forbidden, C doesn't get you very far. :)
>

So, moving from C to Pascal, the programmer just need to learn these
techniques, which really doesn't amount to much for an experienced
programmer.

I think Graeme's point was that if you have a good grasp of software
design and programming techniques, you can write good software in
whatever language you choose.  I have seen this in practice, so I
agree to an extent.  Obviously the programming paradigm of the
language you choose will have an influence, so the old saying of
choosing the right tool holds.

Henry