This paper covers the history and use of parentheses in programming languages, from the beginning of programming to the present day. Early programming languages only had round parentheses, but later keyboards added brackets and braces.
Parentheses....................................... .................................................. .................................................. ............................ 1
Lisp Super Parentheses....................................... .................................................. .................................................. .... 2
New Parentheses....................................... .................................................. .................................................. ............... 2
Parentheses
Copyright Dennie Van Tassel 2004.
Please send suggestions and comments to [email protected]
The use of parentheses has changed as input devices added more types of parentheses. The early IBM keypunch machines only had the standard round ( ) parentheses. So these were used for several different unrelated purposes:
y = prices(i) // parentheses used for array prices
x = sqrt(y) // parentheses used for square root function
w = cost(k) // array or function – which is it?
x = b + (2.0/3.0) // parentheses used for grouping expressions
(* check this *) // comments in early Pascal.
This caused many problems since it was often difficult for the compiler or a programmer to tell if an array or function was being used. Many a beginning FORTRAN programmer, after spelling an array wrong, wondered why the compiler kept telling him that something was wrong with his function since he did not know he had one.
http://www.gavilan.edu/csis/languages/parentheses.html
Parentheses....................................... .................................................. .................................................. ............................ 1
Lisp Super Parentheses....................................... .................................................. .................................................. .... 2
New Parentheses....................................... .................................................. .................................................. ............... 2
Parentheses
Copyright Dennie Van Tassel 2004.
Please send suggestions and comments to [email protected]
The use of parentheses has changed as input devices added more types of parentheses. The early IBM keypunch machines only had the standard round ( ) parentheses. So these were used for several different unrelated purposes:
y = prices(i) // parentheses used for array prices
x = sqrt(y) // parentheses used for square root function
w = cost(k) // array or function – which is it?
x = b + (2.0/3.0) // parentheses used for grouping expressions
(* check this *) // comments in early Pascal.
This caused many problems since it was often difficult for the compiler or a programmer to tell if an array or function was being used. Many a beginning FORTRAN programmer, after spelling an array wrong, wondered why the compiler kept telling him that something was wrong with his function since he did not know he had one.
http://www.gavilan.edu/csis/languages/parentheses.html
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