[comp.lang.modula2] Proposed I/O Standard

sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan) (08/19/87)

Thanks to R. Henry for keeping us up to date on the proposed standard.

A question about implementation:

 I am trying to figure out how to implement procedures which don't
 consume input, but may have to read far ahead, when the input is for
 example a terminal or a pipeline.  Good examples of what I mean are
 Int.CanRead and Int.Value.  Suppose the input is from a terminal, and
 the person sitting at the terminal types an endless stream of spaces.
 Should CanRead return FALSE after filling a buffer?  Should Value halt
 with an error after filling a buffer?  I can't think of anything else
 which would be reasonable, and I'm wondering what the proposers have in
 mind here.

Fred Sullivan
Department of Mathematical Sciences
State University of New York at Binghamton
Binghamton, New York  13903
Email: sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu