Lars Hellström <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> [...]
> You conspicuously omit programming languages, which I would put as a
> forerunner of spreadsheets (the less about said, the better), and
> probably also of modern calculators that attempt to display
> formulae. So it probably all boils down to "because that's how it was
> in FORTRAN" (which, if memory serves, ignored spaces).

not entirely.  originally designed for programmers writing programs on
cards, and had fixed layout (which card punches could be set up for).

iirc (it's a long time)
cols 1-5 label number or blank
col  6	 continuation mark or blank
col  7+	 programming statement (optionally continued on next card, as
         signified by the continuation mark)

that's what the spec said (modulo my feeble memory).  the compiler i
learned with (written by the guy who lectured us on the language) had
some relaxation of the rules.  iirc, column 1 blank->code, lines not
restricted to 80 chars long.

the _real_ programming language[*] that ignores spaces, is dna.

robin

[*] note that i don't claim that fortran isn't real...
surreal would be nearer the mark.