madd@bucsb.UUCP (03/16/86)
As has been previously said, Turbo Pascal is a fantastic & cheap Pascal
for your micro. I am currently using v3.0 on a Kaypro II (the slow
one) and I find it more than adequate. The new version is $69, up
from $49, but worth every penny. They are still supporting their
CP/M users, too. I would recommend it over every other Pascal avail.
for CP/M machines just for its compile speed, but its superset of
Pascal standard functions/procedures and VERY nice documentation on
v3.0 make it even better.
How to get it? I wouldn't go to my dealer unless he gives you a price
<$69. Order it via mail, unless you need it now. There are order forms
in magazines such as _Byte_ every month, and Borland *knows* what CP/M
is. (That, by the way, is why I wouldn't go through a dealer. It is
a common problem that dealers tend to be linear-minded. It seems to be
IBM or "what?")
There are more good reasons to buy the language from them rather than
get any other compiler, regardless of price:
* Their version gives such control over the computer, it is like
having the power of C in a full scale language with reasonably
complete error checking.
* Most of the public domain prgs written in Pascal are in Turbo.
* Turbo v3.0 is almost completely bug-free. The only bug that I've
heard rumored is in the overlay mechanism (see _Byte_, a couple
of months back), and I have never used it, even though some of
my programs were much too large for the built-in editor.
* Interfaces quite well with the operating system. Personally, I
like having direct control over BIOS/BDOS routines without
switching to assembler.
* Upgradable. I use it on both CPM & MSDOS machines. It is useful
to have it work on both -- program source is 100% portable, with
the exception of machine-specific calls and in-line machine coding.
Sorry to all of you who have read these before from everyone else, but
there seem to be fewer and fewer CP/M users around today. It is good
to have the best products available supported.
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