[Coco] scary old code

[Willard Goosey]

On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 12:37:10AM -0400, Aaron Wolfe wrote:
> I think most of us who were introduced to the world of programming via
> the CoCo probably have some very bad code on a disk or tape somewhere.

For BASIC to be really clear, it needs lots of comments.  It can be
hard (and uses lots of resources like memory and line numbers) to use
lots of comments in BASIC.

It doesn't help that lots (most?) of the sample code we had available
back then also wasn't really great about being readable.  From the
Sample Programs in the BASIC manual to Barden's books to Rainbow
Magazine to generic BASIC Programming books.  Look in them, and you'll
see lots of dense, uncommented code.  After all, people had to type
that stuff in themselves, they're not going to want to type in lots of
extra comments.

>On a modern computer, I don't know how a kid would even start to
>learn programming.  

That's a real problem that's hitting IT and CS college programs.
Freshmen are coming in with exactly zero programming experience.
Most of todays's computers don't come with any programming tools, so
kids just aren't learning to program.

>If you look at code from years prior and cannot see problems with it,
>you've stopped learning.  (or you are one heck of a programmer :)

Pheah!  My code from six months ago makes me wince.  "Oh good job
there, Mr. high-and-mighty-I-check-pointers-against-null-before-
I-try-to-use-them!" :-)

Willard
-- 
Willard Goosey  goosey at sdc.org
Socorro, New Mexico, USA
I search my heart and find Cimmeria, land of Darkness and the Night.
  -- R.E. Howard