XPost: alt.folklore.computers   
   From: robin_listas@es.invalid   
      
   On 2026-01-03 09:31, The Natural Philosopher wrote:   
   > On 02/01/2026 21:22, Carlos E.R. wrote:   
   >> I certainly studied i/o in *what they told us* was standard pascal,   
   >> using the original Wirth book.   
   >   
   > (a) What they tell you is not always true.   
   > (b) What is 'standard' is a moveable feast...   
   >   
   > ...google sez...   
   >   
   > "The statement "Pascal has no I/O" originates from   
   > Brian Kernighan’s 1981 essay, "Why Pascal is Not My Favorite Programming   
   > Language".   
   >   
   > Kernighan argued that the original 1970 definition of Pascal was   
   > severely limited for systems programming because:   
   >   
   >      No Low-Level Access: The language lacked a way to override its   
   > strict type system, making it impossible to write its own I/O systems or   
   > memory allocators *within the language itself*.   
   >   
   >      Fixed Array Sizes: Because array size was part of the type, a   
   > function could not be written to handle strings or arrays of different   
   > lengths, complicating general-purpose file I/O.   
   >   
   >      Lack of Portability: Standard Pascal’s I/O was considered   
   > "primitive," and any real-world use required implementation-specific   
   > extensions that broke portability between compilers."   
   >   
      
   Well, they taught us using a VAX for practising. They did not teach us   
   whatever additions the compiler had, because I have read that pascal was   
   used to write system utilities for the vax.   
      
   That vax was too crowded, so much that it could take seconds for the   
   keyboard to respond. We had to type blind. I talked my parents into   
   getting a PC so that I could practice Pascal. So I learned Turbo Pascal   
   at home. You could do anything with it.   
      
      
      
   --   
   Cheers, Carlos.   
   ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)