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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml to c/programmer_humor@programming.dev

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[-] bandwidthcrisis@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

BASIC uses (used?) it to declare variables. (I don't know if earlier languages did.)

Not that that's a reason for other languages to copy it.

[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Doesn't Basic use Dim a As String?

[-] dan@upvote.au 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Older variants used DIM for arrays and LET for other variables. DIM was originally called that because it was setting the dimensions of the array.

In modern BASIC variants, DIM has become a backronym: "declare in memory".

[-] sbv@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

In modern BASIC variants, DIM has become a backronym: “declare in memory”.

TIL. I always thought it was a backronym for declare in (yo) momma.

[-] tisktisk@piefed.social 4 points 1 year ago

TIL Backronyms and cuil BASIC technicalities Much obliged all

[-] marcos@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Even older variants required both a let to declare the variable and a dim to set its size.

I remember a REDIM command, but I really can't remember what basic it's from.

[-] dan@upvote.au 2 points 1 year ago

The first programming language I used was Visual Basic (both VBA in Excel, and VB3 then VB6). I think it used redim to resize arrays.

this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2025
333 points (90.7% liked)

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