On 2013-10-23 17:26, robin wrote:
>
>> In Rexx, this could be written with no (explicit) branches
>> as:
>>
>> m = ( j > k ) - ( j < k );
>
> In PL/I,
> m = sign(j-k);
>
The objective was to synthesize sign() in a language such as
Rexx which, unlike PL/I, lacks it. I have occasionally gotten
flamboyant and coded such as:
X = copies( 'gubbins', A==B ) /* instead of: */
if A==B
then X = 'gubbins'
else X = ''
Clearly, I've been polluted by excessive exposure to CDC 6600,
whose programmers went to extremes to avoid branches which
might break pipelining.
On 2013-10-23 15:09, John Gilmore wrote:
> Boolean values are bits in PL/I.
> ...
> but nothing quite like your REXX construct is available.
>
IOW, PL/I provides no coercion from boolean (bit) values to
integer?
("[my] REXX construct"? It's conventional; I lay no claim
to originality.)
--- gil
