Re: Cursor Question

Dunno about 'old programmers' cringing at gotos, i've *only* been in the game for approaching 4 years (excluding college) and hardly ever use gotos. If i want to branch off somewhere, the likeleyhood is that i want to return to where i came from, hence not using a goto.

I must agree, i have seen old code with goto's and it does make your head spin. However, the odd (one or two) goto well documented and only used as a last resort
shouldn't do too much harm.

Mark

Kenneth C Stahl wrote in message <376F8745.DDDD5708_at_lucent.com>...
>The argument is absurd. The use of GOTO does not automatically equate to
>spaghetti logic. If you were to read any of my programs where I have used
GOTO
>you would never have any doubts at all about the flow of execution or my
intent.
>On the other hand I have read (and unfortunately had to maintain) a lot of
>programs written by programmers who are so adamant about not using GOTO
that
>their code is unreadable through incredible levels of selection logic. Of
>course, these programmers also tend to be the ones who write
>functions/procedures that span hundreds of lines of codes, who never
properly
>format their code and who never use comments. But, by god, they never use
GOTO.
>
>On the other hand, whereever possible I limit my functions to less than 60
>lines, I am obsessive about formatting, use comments to explain what I'm
doing
>and occasionally I use a GOTO when it makes sense to do so. I obviously
must be
>doing something right - I've never had a maintenance programmer complain
that
>they cannot understand my code because of the presence of GOTO.
>
>I wonder what it takes to be an "old programmer" who "cringes" at GOTO?
I've
>been a software developer since 1981. I've also made a fairly decent living
at
>this profession, so I'm quite a bit past the "wannabe" stage. You see,
>programming is not just a bunch of computer-science-weenie-theory-crap, it
is
>work that I do on behalf of my employer to provide the best possible
sofware
>within the constraints of time, money and practicality. If I end up using a
GOTO
>to solve a problem I do it because it makes sense within the context of
what my
>employer is asking me to do. I don't seek out situations for the purpose of
>using a GOTO, but I don't sit with a project on my desk for weeks at a time
just
>because I want to ensure that I never use a GOTO in the code. I get the job
done
>and then I move on. My employers tend to like it that way.
>
>Sorry for the "religious" discussion, but I've spent a long time at this
job and
>am not going to buy into some theoretical notion that something is either
good
>or bad because it is part of programming lore.
>
>> And that is the problem with many of these so-called programmers - they
can
>> not solve a problem and the resort to using the GOTO statement. Ever
tried
>> to maintain spaghetti logic? Which is why I have a very stong distaste
for a
>> GOTO statement. And I can not recall ever having to resort to using GOTO
>> statements myself.
>
>> >Fortunately Stroustrup understood this problem when he developed C++ -
you
>> >realize, of course, that a throw-catch sequence is the same as a GOTO -
it
>> just
>> >doesn't use the GOTO word, that's all. In fact, exceptions in C++ can be
>> used
>> >in ways that far exceed that which GOTO can since GOTO in C is limited
to
>> the
>> >scope of a single function.
>>
>> True. Ditto for Delphi too. But then this is specifically aimed at
handling
>> exceptions and not a logic crutch for wanna-be programmers.
>>
>> >Also, in PL/SQL the EXIT statement is merely a synonym for GOTO.
>>
>> Not really true - a GOTO is used to branch/jump to another section of
logic.
>> An EXIT indicates that the current code block (procedure/method) is
>> unconditionally terminated. Sure, an EXIT can be described as a GOTO
>> statement that jumps to the terminator of the current code block, but by
the
>> same token you can see an EXIT statement as just that. Exit the current
code
>> block here and now - RETF instead of a JMP if you get my meaning... :-)
>>
>> The problem with the GOTO statement is not what it does - of course you
need
>> to be able to branch the execution of code. You are right - in the "right
>> situation" the use of the GOTO statement may be justified. I think that
this
>> concept of "bad GOTO, bad!" is simply a method to get would be
programmers
>> to realise that to solve a complex programming problems requires the use
of
>> gray matter and not GOTO statements. And whenever one of us "old
>> programmers" see a GOTO statement, we do cringe, as our first reaction is
>> that the programmer got himself/herself into a logic mess and now needs
to
>> use a GOTO statement to het out of trouble.
>>
>
Received on Tue Jun 22 1999 - 08:14:41 CDT