preston@felix.UUCP (Preston L. Bannister) (03/13/86)
I would like to have sent the following as a direct mail reply, but couldn't figure out the return path... ----- I have used an earlier version of the Logitech compiler, version 1.1 quite a lot. Some things may have changed in the past year. I believe I can answer some of your questions. In article <8603112106.13978@ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa> "INFO1::ELDER" <elder%info1.decnet@wpafb-info2.ARPA> writes: > 1. Is the compiler a complete implementation of Modula-2 to include > processes and monitors? The compiler is a complete implementation of Modula-2. The Logitech compiler looks very much like it was derived from the 4-pass compiler that has been distributed in source form from Zurich for a few years. The way the 4-pass compiler was written, all you have to do is re-write the code generator (the fourth pass). The Logitech compiler is actually a 5-pass compiler. > 2. Will the compiler run under plain, vanilla MSDOS or does it > require an IBM-PC with PCDOS? Yes, the Logitech compiler will run on generic MS-DOS machines. I've used the compiler on two different MS-DOS machines that were in no way "PC-compatible". HOWEVER, we had to make a change to the "Modula-2 run time system". Supporting the Modula-2 monitor feature on an MS-DOS machine requires knowledge of the hardware, the interrupt controller in particular. If your machine does not have an interrupt scheme very similar the the IBM-PC, you may need to change the run-time system. Logitech distributes the run-time system in source (assembly language) form, so this is not too much of a problem. > 3. Does the editor only work on IBM-PC's and true compatibles, > or can the editor be configured to work on different types > of machines? Version 1.1 didn't come with an editor. Unfortunately, to get reasonable performance with an editor on an IBM-PC you have to get very close the the hardware. They may have a generic MS-DOS version... > 4. Does the compiler limit you to programs of 64K or less (small > memory model) or can you write programs which can use all > available memory on your machine (large memory model)? The compiler generates large memory model programs. In fact, each module gets it's own code segment! Memory pointers are all full segment and offset. > 5. Can you link in assembler programs or does it include > in-line code like Turbo Pascal? Version 1.1 had no means by which we could link in assembler programs. This was one feature we wanted very badly. Apparently others felt the same way, because Logitech said they were going to do something about it. They may have... >Greg Elder >elder@wpafb-info1 I don't use Modula-2 any more :-( so I don't know what may have changed. ======================================== Preston L. Bannister USENET: ucbvax!trwrb!felix!preston