This might be the real point.

I prefer Pascal's readability (similarity to natural language) in long-lasting projects where I return from time to time - plus where I had the freedom of language choice :-( . Note, for example, how many advocates of Pascal come from those who don't program regularly. You might call them incompetent upon this fact, and the language destined for amateurs only then - but I'd say that would be a gross error.

This is also one of the big issues of asm - its "unreadability" stems among others from the cryptic nature of the mnemonics. As a person working often enough with '51 asm I have no problem to "see" what e.g. CJNE does, but even if you say it out for a novice - Compare And Jump If Not Equal - he can't appreciate all the nuances hidden behind these four letters for quite a long time. Now confront this with "and" - and "&" or "&&" on the other hand.

All this said, it does not automatically mean I will do my next '51 project in Pascal.

JW