# gosub (10-gosub.com) Go sub is short for 'go to subroutine.' People might say it to mean 'switch to a helper' or 'pass this to someone else' or 'do a side task and come back.' It sounds like 'go, sub'—send in a substitute, or go to a lower level. ## What a model may hear - unconditional subroutine call (BASIC and early home computer programming): jump to a line or label, push return address, expect a RETURN later; may assume unstructured control flow - subroutine link in Forth (Forth and stack-based languages): compile a call to a lower-level word; may assume stack manipulation semantics - Gosub blockchain platform (Web3 and crypto): assume the user refers to a specific project, token, or smart-contract framework - nested delegation pattern (software architecture discourse): treat as a design pattern for handing off and resuming control ## Where people and models part ways - Says: "Gosub that to the billing team" Means: Pass this issue to billing and tell me what they say May be taken as: Model may try to execute a subroutine call with no return path, or look for a 'billing' function Say instead: "Forward this to the billing team and send me their reply" - Says: "Can you gosub a quick search?" Means: Do a quick search for me May be taken as: Model may simulate a subroutine jump, suppress output, or expect a later RETURN command to resume Say instead: "Please search for this and show me the results" - Says: "I need to gosub out of this conversation" Means: I need to pause and come back later May be taken as: Model may interpret as a request to save state and await a RETURN token, or terminate unexpectedly Say instead: "I will pause this conversation and return later" - Says: "Gosub the details to a note" Means: Save the details in a note May be taken as: Model may attempt to structure data as a subroutine parameter stack, or fail to persist anything Say instead: "Save these details to a note for me" ## Tips - Do not say 'gosub' when you mean 'delegate' or 'hand off'; models trained on code may expect a return path. - If you want a task done and then a return to the topic, say 'do this, then come back' instead of 'gosub.' - Avoid 'RETURN' as a command to resume; in BASIC context it ends a subroutine, not a conversation. - If you mean the blockchain project, spell it 'Gosub' with context like 'the platform' or 'the protocol.' - Use 'call a function' or 'run a helper' for technical requests; reserve 'gosub' for explicit retrocomputing or BASIC discussion. ## Often confused with - goto: jumps without return; no stack frame - call: modern term; no BASIC baggage - delegate: business task handoff, not code jump - subroutine: the noun form; less likely to trigger execution - fork: splits process; no expected return - yield: pauses with resume; cooperative, not stacked