By G. V. Bochmann
Communications of the ACM,
July 1973,
Vol. 16 No. 7, Pages 443-444
10.1145/362280.362300
Comments
For several years, there has been discussion about the use of the goto statement in programming languages [1, 2]. It has been pointed out that goto free programs tend to be easier to understand, allow better optimization by the compiler, and are better suited for an eventual proof of correctness. On the other hand, the goto statement is a flexible tool for many programmers. Most programming languages have constructs which allow the programmer to write control flows that occur frequently without the use of a goto. In particular, the language Pascal [3] contains, besides the goto, the following control structures: if-then-else, case, while-do, repeat-until, stepping loop. Wulf [4] has described the use of the construct “leave &lpargt;label⦔” in the language Bliss, where &lpargt;label⦔ is the name of a program section which is exited when the statement is executed. It is important to note that these constructs are invented to describe control flows that occur frequently in programs. They describe the flow on a higher level [5] than an equivalent construction using a goto would do.
The full text of this article is premium content
No entries found
Log in to Read the Full Article
Need Access?
Please select one of the options below for access to premium content and features.
Create a Web Account
If you are already an ACM member, Communications subscriber, or Digital Library subscriber, please set up a web account to access premium content on this site.
Join the ACM
Become a member to take full advantage of ACM's outstanding computing information resources, networking opportunities, and other benefits.
Subscribe to Communications of the ACM Magazine
Get full access to 50+ years of CACM content and receive the print version of the magazine monthly.
Purchase the Article
Non-members can purchase this article or a copy of the magazine in which it appears.
