Date:         Tue, 25 Feb 2003 16:50:26 -0800
Reply-To:     cassell.david@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "David L. Cassell" <cassell.david@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV>
Subject:      Re: Is SAS compiled?
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I find it easier to categorize computer languages into:

(1) compiled
(2) strictly interpreted
(3) some of the above

We no longer have the situation of thirty years ago, when
only cases (1) and (2) existed.  Between SAS, Perl, Java,
Python, Tcl, Befunge, etc., the black-and-white situation
of thirty years ago has become a nice, sludgy, gray continuum.
SAS is not a strict compiled language.  But it is not strictly
an interpreted language, either.  And not being case (1) doesn't
necessarily mean anything about speed.  Look at Kernighan and
Pike and read their section on computer languages and speed.
They sure were surprised when (on a genetic programming algorithm
on the win32 system) Perl beat out C++ .  And awk beat out Java.
(C won on the win32 box and on the Solaris box, for those of you
who were wondering.)

I recommend a nice Zen answer the next time someone asks
whether SAS is compiled:

Q: Is SAS compiled, master?
A: A golden tree in a silver forest.

HTH,
David
--
David Cassell, CSC
Cassell.David@epa.gov
Senior computing specialist
mathematical statistician