[net.micro.mac] example for MacC

chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (06/28/85)

A while back I mentioned to the net that I was in process of porting Doug
Moens 'example' code from Sumacc to MacC. A number of people responded
about availability, and I wanted to give a quick status update and make a
few comments about the compiler.

As far as example is concerned, I have had to backburner it for a while
because of some problems I've run into (and lack of time to deal with
them). The code all compiles, but because of some problems in the Toolbox
interface I have been unable to get an executable program out of it. When I
have time, I'll be fixing and implementing the MacC toolbox parts I need to
finish the project and then post the stuff to the net.

It turns out that MacC does not implement the entire IM Toolbox, just a
large subset of it. This doesn't affect putting together a new application
because the functionality you need is there, but if you are attempting to
port existing code from another compiler it can create significant
problems. Here are the areas I've found in MacC that have caused problems
to date:

    o the FlushEvents() trap still implements the one parameter version
    instead of the two parameter version. This was originally caused by
    duplicate and inconsistent definitions in IM, but MacC hasn't been
    brought into line with the latest versions of the manual.

    o in Packages.h, the SFReply structure is defined improperly. The
    structure item called 'Name' should properly be called 'fName'.

    o the event manager trap SetEventMask() is not implemented.

    o None of the OS interface routines (Create, OSopen, etc...) are
    implemented. Instead, the Parameter Block routines (PBxxxx) are
    implemented. Since example uses the OS routines, this means I'm either
    going to have to hack in the PB stuff and lose my source compatibility
    or write a trap interface for the stuff that wasn't done.

Overall, I still think that MacC is a very powerful and useful tool, and
I'd certainly buy it again if I was in a position to do so. I'm going to be
passing this comments back to Consulair and see what happens. If you are
planning do do a lot of new work, MacC is a good choice to work with,
especially because of its integration with Apple's MDS. If you are going to
be trying to move code from another compiler, though, be wary -- it may not
have the routines you need.

chuq


-- 
:From the misfiring synapses of:                  Chuq Von Rospach
{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui   nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA

The offices were very nice, and the clients were only raping the land, and
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