RE: Midrange Knowledge test

["M. Lazarus" <mlazarus@xxxxxxxx>]

Jim,

At 1/2/04 05:00 PM, you wrote:
> The cycle contains processing and logic, so that processing and logic is
> concealed from view.  It's not hard to put it back in view, and it enhances
> readability.  If you're not working in an exclusive RPG shop readability is
> going to be much more important.

 I think that we're going to have to agree to disagree here.  The standard 
things that the language does for you are the *strengths*, not the 
weaknesses of the language.

 The same argument that you've made against RPG can be made against 
SQL.  Or any OO language.  Not only that, but  SQL is more difficult to 
debug.  The "novice can figure out what's doing in language X" argument is 
not a valid reason to make a technique decision, IMHO.  When you're 
interviewing or assigning  a programmer for a task, I'm assuming that you 
pick the best one for the task, not just a warm body that might or might 
not be able to figure out what's going on.  That requires an intimate 
knowledge of the language.

 -mark