broman@BUGS.NOSC.MIL (Vincent Broman) (10/15/87)
I've been experimenting with the shareware FST M2 a fair amount since I found it on simtel20 and am somewhat pleased. I like very much the integration of the editor and compiler for development because it is so much faster than repeatedly loading the passes of the Logitech compiler off my slow floppies. (A hard disk doesn't fit in every home hobbyist's budget.) I also enjoy the editor's automatic positioning on each error after a compilation. Yes, I know Logitech's editor does something similar, but I couldn't bring myself to use that creaky monstrosity after trying it. The down side is the number of bugs I've had to workaround and the number of times the system has crashed itself. Still, the author, Roger Carvalho, has been courteous in responding to my bug reports and suggestions. He is setting up a Bulletin Board System at +1 404 497 0931 for support of his registered users. This BBS will be open to the public during November and December so that anyone can download the software for evaluation. Version 1.1 will be released in a couple of weeks. V1.2 will feature i8087 support. If he adds small memory model, I'll very likely send money. As it is, FST seems to be the only shareware compiler of a complete HLL I know of; Small-C, WASM, and A86 being the runnerups. Vincent Broman, code 632, Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, CA 92152, USA Phone: +1 619 225 2365 Internet: broman@nosc.mil Uucp: sdcsvax!nosc!broman