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Thread: Ancient History

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    Former Admin/Moderator MartinLiss's Avatar
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    Ancient History

    When I'm looking for answers to programming problems that I can't solve on my own, one of the places where I go for solutions is VBForums. Well I came here today looking for a solution and I found it in one of my posts from 23 years ago!

  2. #2
    Super Moderator jmcilhinney's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    I guess you're one of those people who can say "I've forgotten more than you'll ever know".

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    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    I've often thought that what I wrote a month back seems like it was written by a different person.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

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    Software Carpenter dee-u's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    Darn, it has been 17 years since I joined this forum!
    Regards,


    As a gesture of gratitude please consider rating helpful posts. c",)

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    Super Moderator FunkyDexter's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    I guess you're one of those people who can say "I've forgotten more than you'll ever know".
    Or even "I've forgotten more than I'll ever know"
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    Wall Poster TysonLPrice's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    When I joined this forum I was recently hired at a shop with one single executable. I had fifteen years or so mainframe programming in COBOL and took a "Learn VB in 10 days" course for my new job. I "ghosted" this place getting answers all the time. I posted a couple thanks concerning that over the years. Then for a long time I wouldn't even try the .Net forum. Way over my head. Now everything new I do is .Net.

    This is the best VB forum I know of and I have belonged to a few. Time really flies, twenty years or so a member. Or is it "time flies like the wind, and fruit flies like bananas"
    Last edited by TysonLPrice; Sep 5th, 2022 at 05:07 AM.
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    Fanatic Member 2kaud's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    programming in COBOL
    Cobol was the one language I've used that I absolutely hated. hated. hated. We learnt Cobol in the late 70's during my 2nd year University CS and we had to produce a non-trivial program using batch Cobol (punched cards). I think it was a banking program. I vowed then I'd never write another line of Cobol - and I never have - although I've still got my old Cobol books. The verbosity of the language with it's compute statement. Ahh. I've got a migraine coming on just thinking about it.... In the 1980's I turned down a job with a software house as I might have to use Cobol depending upon client requirements.
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    PowerPoster Zvoni's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    Quote Originally Posted by 2kaud View Post
    Cobol was the one language I've used that I absolutely hated. hated. hated. We learnt Cobol in the late 70's during my 2nd year University CS and we had to produce a non-trivial program using batch Cobol (punched cards). I think it was a banking program. I vowed then I'd never write another line of Cobol - and I never have - although I've still got my old Cobol books. The verbosity of the language with it's compute statement. Ahh. I've got a migraine coming on just thinking about it.... In the 1980's I turned down a job with a software house as I might have to use Cobol depending upon client requirements.
    Try RPG.
    I've seen RPG-Source-code, once!
    I think after reading 2 or 3 lines of it i was going cross-eyed (with c-code i at least "manage" to read 5-6 lines before going cross-eyed )
    Last edited by Zvoni; Tomorrow at 31:69 PM.
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    Fanatic Member 2kaud's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    I never came across RPG as I never programmed IBM mainframes..,
    All advice is offered in good faith only. You are ultimately responsible for the effects of your programs and the integrity of the machines they run on. Anything I post, code snippets, advice, etc is licensed as Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

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  11. #11
    Angel of Code Niya's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinLiss View Post
    When I'm looking for answers to programming problems that I can't solve on my own, one of the places where I go for solutions is VBForums. Well I came here today looking for a solution and I found it in one of my posts from 23 years ago!
    That is just wild.
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    Re: Ancient History

    Quote Originally Posted by 2kaud View Post
    I never came across RPG as I never programmed IBM mainframes..,
    Most business mainframes supported RPG. It was not as regularly used there, but vendors had to offer it to compete with IBM for contracts.

  13. #13
    Fanatic Member 2kaud's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    I used Pascal/Fortran/Algol68/Assembler on CDC computers and Pascal/Basic (various)/Fortran/c/Assembler on mini-computers (DEC/DG etc) then Basic/Assembler/Proc/Access for Pick-based computers (still my favourite) before moving to these newfangled PC's with c/C++/Pascal/Assembler before Windows programming...
    All advice is offered in good faith only. You are ultimately responsible for the effects of your programs and the integrity of the machines they run on. Anything I post, code snippets, advice, etc is licensed as Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

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    Re: Ancient History

    Was there an Algol68 compiler for CDC machines? I remember using Algol60 but not 68. Maybe it came along later.

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    Wall Poster TysonLPrice's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    Quote Originally Posted by dilettante View Post
    Most business mainframes supported RPG. It was not as regularly used there, but vendors had to offer it to compete with IBM for contracts.
    I wrote a few reports using RPG II. That is when it used a "report Cycle". The next version was more COBOL like. CICS was my first interactive programming language.
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  16. #16
    Fanatic Member 2kaud's Avatar
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    Re: Ancient History

    Was there an Algol68 compiler for CDC machines? I remember using Algol60 but not 68. Maybe it came along later.
    Algol68 was first implemented for CDC in about 1977. I first used it in 1979 (I think. It was a long time ago...). Algol68 was very different to Algol60. There was disagreement amongst the committee/group developing the standard - so much so that a certain N Wirth (who had produced Algol-W - an update to Algol60) left and developed his own language Pascal.
    All advice is offered in good faith only. You are ultimately responsible for the effects of your programs and the integrity of the machines they run on. Anything I post, code snippets, advice, etc is licensed as Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

    C++23 Compiler: Microsoft VS2022 (17.6.5)

  17. #17
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    Re: Ancient History

    I was aware of the history, I just didn't know about an Algol68 compiler on CDC's platforms. But I was no longer working on them after about 1976.

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