I would love to see evidence of Dijkstra's critique of Pascal (which is NOT a basic dialect.)
Dijkstra hates Basic, Fortran, Cobol and APL .. but not Pascal. He wrote an Algol compiler and used Algol-based languages and formalisms throughout his entire career, even inventing some himself.
The reason is simple: Pascal is hard to hate (or love for that matter.) It's a reliable 4-door, automatic sedan.
Dijkstra hates Basic, Fortran, Cobol and APL .. but not Pascal. He wrote an Algol compiler and used Algol-based languages and formalisms throughout his entire career, even inventing some himself.
The reason is simple: Pascal is hard to hate (or love for that matter.) It's a reliable 4-door, automatic sedan.