[fpc-pascal] Syntax changes suggestions

[Jim Lee]

On 07/17/18 11:50, Ryan Joseph wrote:
>
>> On Jul 17, 2018, at 12:24 PM, Jim Lee <jlee54 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> It has to fit the spirit of the language as well.
> I don’t propose new features to copy other languages but I’ll mention other languages as evidence that more people than just myself have discovered some merit to the concept (i.e. a form of validation). When I say c++ does ___  too I take that as a good indication many other programers who work in a similar language had the same problem I did.
>
> If lots of programmers using main stream languages like c++ are having a similar problem we are I think it’s incumbent for Pascal to at least consider if there is merit to the concern.
>

I disagree.

Pascal is a language (originally) intended to be used to teach 
structured programming concepts, and also to be a practical production 
language *in that same domain*.

When Mr. Wirth saw the merits of modular programming, he did not try to 
retrofit that functionality into Pascal - he instead created a new 
language, Modula-2, and later, Modula-3.

When Mr. Wirth later saw the merits of object oriented programming, he 
did not try to retrofit that functionality into Pascal or Modula - he 
instead created a new language, Oberon.

On the other hand, both Apple and Borland chose to extend their versions 
of Pascal with these newer concepts (and several others), turning Pascal 
into a multi-paradigm language.  That was in the day and time when 
commercial interests were more important than language design.  It was 
also a time when products were judged by the number of features 
included, not by their quality.

Now, I happen to think that both structured and modular programming 
belong together, and that Wirth could have added modular extensions to 
Pascal without destroying the spirit of the language.  However, what is 
known as "Object Pascal", to me, should be a separate language, with a 
different name.   Not better, not worse, just different.  And that's why 
I hesitate whenever someone comes along and says we should add <feature 
of the day> to Pascal.

-Jim