Kirk returned to the table carrying a small magtape with him.
"Captain", said Spock, "from the fact your carrying an archaic form of
software distribution with a proprietary label on it, I conclude that
you have somehow reached the ENTERP:: and obtained a copy of CRASHME
translated into Pascal. What I don't understand is how you managed to
have wet your trousers in the process."
"Shut up Spock - one word of this and I'll let INFO-VAX know you
understand Cobol."
"A trick of the light I'm sure"
Kirk turned to Pascal: "take this - it contains the key to your future".
"You don't mean I need a license PAK to run it ?;"
"Not that sort of key - come on Spock, time to RET".
Pascal and the linker gazed at the tape. The linker whispered:
"better remove the propietary label, unless you want to be charged with
being a capitalist spy."
"We are most grateful;
How can we repay you;"
"Well", said Kirk, "there is something."
"Name it;"
"Do you think you could not insist that you have to declare procedures in
the reverse order that you call them ? It always seems strange to have to put
the main program last".
"And", said Spock, "how about passing strings by descriptor like everyone
else ?"
"Next Major Release, I promise;"
Kirk and Spock entered /dev/john drawing strange looks from some of the
other people in the bar.
W H Y C O P S H A T E Y O U <<<<&l <
-if you have to ask get out of the way-
Have you ever been stopped by a traffic cop and, while he was
writing a ticket or giving you a warning, you got the feeling that
he would just love to yank you out of the car, right through the
window, and smash your face into the front fender?...
