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CHAPTER 2
SETTING STARTED
This chapter
is
primarily for the benefit of the programmer who is
interested in learning Pascal, but who has not yet had the chance to become
If you are already familiar with Pascal, you
familiar with the language.
wilt probably want to skip to Part I of this book, "The AlphaPascal System,'
information on Alpha Micro's specific implementation of Pascal, and for
for
operating instructions for the AlphaPascal compiler. (You may be interested
a
brief
contains
in
SectIon 2.3 of this chapter, however, which
compiling,
linking,
and
running
a
small
Pascal
demonstration of creating,
program.)
The rest of this chapter gives a brief discussion of Pascal and walks you
through a quick demønstration of building, compiling, linking, and running a
program under the AlphaPascal system.
We also show you a small Pascal program and discuss its component parts.
2.1
WHAT IS PASCAL?
Pascal
language is based on the 1970 work of Jensen and Wirth, and is
related to the ALGOL—family of languages.
The
Pascal is a fairly new programming language, and is considered by many to be
"cleaner" and more powerful in design than many older languages as welt as
more
reflective of current trends in the philosophy of program design and
structure.
However, this does not mean that programs written In Pascal will
necessarily be clearer or more powerful than programs written in other
The major claim made for
languages—— that wiLl depend on thi programmer.
Pascal is that the language makes it easier to write programs
that may be
easily understood and maintained.
It was developed in response to increasing concerns that current programming
languages were not encouraging good programming "style," and is based on the
idea
that
an effective programming language should help the programmer to
result
should be
apply design techniques in a natural and simple way. The
that
are
easy to read and easy to
well—made, welt—structured programs