broman@noscvax.UUCP (Vincent P. Broman) (08/01/85)
<>
Here are some responses to my query about the Modula2 Software Development
System from Interface Technologies, roughly edited for conciseness.
..................................................................
From sdcsvax!calmasd!rjh Fri Jul 26 10:04:38 1985
Organization: Calma Company, San Diego, CA
I have no experience with this system personally. I know several
people who have used it and dislike it, but nobody who has used it and
likes it. Apparently the compiler has some serious problems, and the
editor is regarded as more of a problem than a solution.
--Bob Hofkin
..................................................................
From sdcsvax!akgua!sb6!scbhq!uab!baxter Tue Jul 30 02:17:17 1985
I purchased the ITC Modula 2 compiler system about four weeks ago, received it,
and have been slowly working my way through its vagaries. It offers excellent
performance as a compiler, supporting the 8087 quite nicely.
It is ! not ! suitable for use with floppy disk systems...
The big problem with floppy disk usage is the size of
the compiler/editor/etc. object code. It compiles quite fast (slightly slower
than Turbo Pascal for short programs, probably faster for large programs)
especially as compared to comparable Microsoft products (large memory models,
8087 support, etc.). I personally do not like the syntax directed editor
approach but this one does generally work in a satisfactory manner. The
company has been excellent to deal with, supporting an on-line bulletin board
for resolution of user problems...
Two staff members keep tabs on user requests for assistance and they have
been very patient with my questions. ... The system is inexpensive
enough to justify on the basis of learning the language...
For your $80.88 you get the same compiler as the $249.00 SDS-XP system,
which includes additional library routines (not being delivered as yet)...
Limited benchmarking [gives] results comparable to Turbo Pascal v3.0...
Jerrel Baxter, CDP University of Alabama at Birmingham
School of Optometry
Birmingham, Alabama 35294
(205) 934-2822
...................................................................
From: "David R. Stampf" <drs@bnl.uucp> in an INFO-IBMPC digest.
Date: 19 Jul 85 13:23:53 GMT (already seen once)
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
... The documentation that comes with the compiler is very slick and
nicely done. Unfortunately, it does not always (ever?) match the software.
In particular there is a fairly extensive tutorial that simply does not work!
... [Then] you are faced with their editor which "knows" about
Modula-2. Actually it doesn't. For each line that you enter into the
source module, you have to precede it by a code (e.g. ALT-a for an assignment
statement) at which point a kind of EBNF form of the statement appears and
you fill in the blanks. Its cute, but the novelty soon wears thin as you try
to write some real code. For instance, to enter the statement WriteInt(i,j);
the following keystrokes are necessary:
<ALT> p WriteInt <TAB> i <TAB> j <TAB> <TAB>
The tabs are necessary! If they are not present, the code looks perfectly
ok, but it will not compile! The editor is in fact token-izing the code as
you go and it need the tabs. *sigh* ...
The next problem is that not all of the library modules agree fully
with N.W.'s book. That will make it pretty difficult to port code. The
programs that I typed all worked, but they were simple and did not really
test the compiler. A problem [arose]... when I tried to run the compiler on
a PC-Jr. It failed if a "mode bw80" command had been issued before running
the compiler, but not if a "mode co80" had been.
Finally, the ads don't mention that the machine you run on must have
at least 320K of memory and a hard disk or 2 physical floppy drives. You
cannot exist with one drive because switching floppies will kill you AND most
importantly the software development system uses the entire screen, so when
DOS comes up with its "Please insert disk..." message, it scrolls your
development system into the next universe. -- No simple way to redraw the
screen.
-- DRS
......................................................................
Sounds missable to me. I hesitate to inquire similarly about the $90 compiler
from the Modula Corporation in Provo, lest my naive hopes get dashed again.
Does anyone know whether and when someone like Borland will come out with a
People's Modula 2 compiler?
UUCP: ucbvax!sdcsvax!noscvax!broman Vincent Broman
ARPA: broman@nosc Naval Ocean Systems Center, code 632
Phone: (619) 225-2365 San Diego, CA 92152
disclaimer: I have no commercial interest in any of these companies.