Goto Considered Harmless
5 days ago
- #programming
- #goto
- #Dijkstra
- The article challenges the notion that 'GOTO considered harmful' is a timeless truth, arguing that modern programming languages have mitigated many of the issues Dijkstra raised.
- It references a video showcasing the use of 'goto' in the Linux kernel, accompanied by a rave soundtrack, and highlights the debate around its usage.
- Dijkstra's original argument against 'goto' was based on the difficulty of tracing program execution and the importance of structured programming constructs.
- The article provides an example of a program with cross-procedure 'goto' that wouldn't compile in modern C, illustrating how language design has evolved to preserve procedural abstractions.
- It concludes that modern imperative languages have largely fulfilled Dijkstra's vision of structured programming, making 'goto' less harmful than it once was.