Attractively packaged in a video-style case with manual, one tape
contains the machine code program and the other a series of
applied demonstrations, from a simple sort routine to a P-Code
disassembler (There are 12 altogether).
The manual is in two sections: first, a simple tutorial and a
second for the more experienced programmer.
It was interesting that part of the claimed advantage was that
Pascal "prevents the programmer from jumping in feet first" and
"from writing at the terminal". It therefore "forces the program
to be structured and designed first".
Whether you need another version of Basic is debateable but this
one comes with its own compiler to produce fast-running
times. Even this is not essential when Oasis has a very good
Dragon Basic compiler.
Everything performed well although I would have liked more
detail with the demonstrations. They were not self-explanatory
to the beginner. Which brings us back to the central question:
Why Pascal? Does the experienced programmer want another high
level languge? I suspect not.
24th April 1984
