Re: Recursive Call

In article <dkgfnn$1a4n$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Chuck Stevens" <charles.stevens@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> "Judson McClendon" <judmc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:lNOaf.14$%k.4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > "Chuck Stevens" <charles.stevens@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >> Note that within COBOL that is compliant with the three most recent
> >> standards, both direct and indirect recursion is prohibited. If an
> >> implementor allows it (or provides additional syntax to support it), it's
> >> an extension and it does whatever the implementor says it does.
> >
> > Why in the world would recursion be forbidden? I haven't used it often in
> > COBOL, but I did find it extremely useful in writing a parts explosion
> > module once. The code, which was pretty elegant, would have been somewhat
> > tacky without recursion.
>
> While recursion isn't a big issue for stack-oriented machines like the
> Unisys MCP systems -- on which the compiler has to go to the trouble to
> generate code to *prevent* recursion -- I believe there was some reluctance
> on the part of J4 to require it until it could be ascertained what the
> pitfalls were and what the appropriate syntax was.

I'm unfamiliar with a non-stack oriented, non-obsolete, machine that has
existed since the 85 standard was written.

Even the IBM mainframe, originally a non-stack machine, made hardware
allowances for stack-style things (e.g. Program Call & Return) somewhere
in the 70's.

Stack machines really have proven their worth over non-stack machines.
What isn't at least simulating a stack these days?
.

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