Re: - Convert Caml to C/C++, C#, PHP, etc -

[Sylvain Le Gall <sylvain@le-gall.net>]

On 03-10-2008, Erik de Castro Lopo <mle+ocaml@mega-nerd.com> wrote:
> axllaruse wrote:
>
>> I would like to convert all the MTASC open source project to
>> C/C++ or PHP. 
>
> Sorry, but you're crazy.
>

Indeed.

> Converting the MTASC compiler to a less capable language (yes, C++
> is less capable) would be an exercise in extreme Greenspunning:
>
>    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenspun's_Tenth_Rule
>

You forget to mention another rule:

"If it works, don't fix it"

Which also apply to the WORKING mtasc compiler in OCaml.

But, just for fun (and having work at converting COBOL program to
C/C++), I really would like to see the result of an automatic
conversion... Just for fun ;-)

There is something like 100% chances, that the resulting source code will
be totally __unreadable__, not working and full of undetectable bug. I
think it will be worse to have an unreadable PHP file than a clean OCaml
code.

This kind of conversion can fill your entire life -- without good
result. FYI, translating COBOL to other languages is in most cases not
possible and, in the remaining cases, produced code is not readable. The
only thing you can perform, quite well, is COBOL X to COBOL Y
translation (like Fujitsu COBOL to MicroFocus COBOL). Or in our case,
you can perform things like OCaml to JoCaml... 

Regards
Sylvain Le Gall