jdm@hodge.UUCP (jdm) (09/19/89)
I just upgraded to Sprint 1.01 and discovered a small "glitch" in their file conversion utility. I was translating a sprint file to Wordstar and at the end of the file translation I was greeted with a run-time error message: Run time error R6001 - null pointer assignment My file translated fine, but this error message had me wondering, "Why is a Borland product returning a Microsoft error number?" I looked up R6001 in the MSC book and sure enough its "null pointer assignment". Since Turbo C's null pointer message returns no error code I must assume that Sprint was, in reality, compiled with Microsoft C. But, it seems funny that Borland would use their arch-rival's compiler on one of their own products. Why not use Turbo C? -- "I'm an anthropologist, not a computer systems architect, damit!" jdm@hodge.cts.com [uunet zardoz crash]!hodge!jdm James D. Murray, Ethnounixologist TEL: (714) 998-7750 Ext. 129 Hodge Computer Research Corporation FAX: (714) 921-8038 1588 North Batavia Street Orange, California 92667 USA
swh@hpcupt1.HP.COM (Steve Harrold) (09/19/89)
Re: Humorous message in Sprint Have you run the Sprint code through a "strings" program (a unix filter) to see if the Borland product has copyright notices for the Microsoft library that must have been linked in to produce the message you reported? Please report your result. Would be most interesting if true.
Devin_E_Ben-Hur@cup.portal.com (09/20/89)
> I must assume that Sprint was, in reality, compiled with > Microsoft C. But, it seems funny that Borland would use their > arch-rival's compiler on one of their own products. Why not use > Turbo C? > > jdm@hodge.cts.com [uunet zardoz crash]!hodge!jdm > James D. Murray, Ethnounixologist TEL: (714) 998-7750 Ext. 129 Sprint was originally a w.p. called FinalWord II developed and sold by Mark of the Unicorn. It was acquired and "Borlandized" at about the same that Wizard C was acquired and Borlandized into Turbo C. Presumably, the original product was developed with MSC. I suspect that there are third-party libraries and/or significant chunks of assembler or less-than-portable C that make switching to TC a significant chore. Most of the Sprint editor and shell were [re-]written by Borland after the acquisition while most of the formatting, printer driving, and file conversion programs were simply polished and extended. It's not all that supprising that the sprint development team is still using MSC to make many of the older cof sprint. I wouldn't even be suprised if they're using MSC for the whole system -- the engineering team was originally Borland "outsiders" and until the more recent VROOMM and other internal Borland technology, there was no compelling reason to switch to T previous development tools other than compile speed and corporate political correctness. Devin_Ben-Hur@Cup.Portal.Com ...ucbvax!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!devin_ben-hur
palowoda@megatest.UUCP (Bob Palowoda) (09/20/89)
From article <21911@hodge.UUCP>, by jdm@hodge.UUCP (jdm): > > Microsoft C. But, it seems funny that Borland would use their > arch-rival's compiler on one of their own products. Why not use > Turbo C? I believe Borland bought the Sprint software from another company. ---Bob -- Bob Palowoda *Home of Fiver BBS* login: bbs Work: {sun,decwrl,pyramid}!megatest!palowoda Home: {sun}ys2!fiver!palowoda (A XBBS System) 2-lines BBS: (415)623-8809 2400/1200 (415)623-8806 1200/2400/9600/19200
einari@rhi.hi.is (Einar Indridason) (09/20/89)
In article <21911@hodge.UUCP> jdm@hodge.UUCP (jdm) writes: > [stuff about Sprint "glitch"] > Run time error R6001 > - null pointer assignment > [stuff about MS-C in Borlands product deleted] Try use 'strings' on the sprint files. I tried that once just for fun, and guess what. I found a lot of places where Microsoft C was used to compile. Surprise, surprise. Borland using a 'C' compiler from their main competitor. What is happening in the software industrie, are there any *unknown* friendsship??? -- To quote Alfred E. Neuman: "What! Me worry????" |||| Pobody is Nerfect !!! Internet: einari@rhi.hi.is UUCP: ..!mcvax!hafro!rhi!einari
toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) (09/21/89)
In article <22297@cup.portal.com> Devin_E_Ben-Hur@cup.portal.com writes: >> I must assume that Sprint was, in reality, compiled with >> Microsoft C. > Sprint was originally a w.p. called FinalWord II developed and sold >by Mark of the Unicorn. It was acquired and "Borlandized" at about >the same that Wizard C was acquired and Borlandized into Turbo C. >Presumably, the original product was developed with MSC. I already replied to the original poster, but since there was a reply here, lets get the history complete. While Sprint came from FinalWord, it was *originally* the Mince/Scribble combination for CP/M. And was written in BDS C. Mince (Mince Is Not Completely Emacs) and Scribble (a scribe clone) were sold separately. I have Mince, and still occasionally use it. It was available bundled with the compiler and partial sources. You could configure it by modifying the sources and recompiling. An amazing product for the time. Tom Almy toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com Standard Disclaimers Apply
ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Richard Ferris) (09/21/89)
I thought this quote from the box my version of TurboC came in would be enlightening: "... Turbo C meets your every programming need. We wrote out best-selling word processor Sprint(R) with Turbo C; now you can write your best-seller with Turbo C 2.0." RF Richard T. Ferris ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu University of Pennsylvania
leonard@bucket.UUCP (Leonard Erickson) (09/23/89)
I don't have Sprint, but I'd be willing to make a small bet that Borland didn't write the conversion utility. By any chance is the main conversion utility file called CONVERT.EXE? If so, I bet that they're using Star Exchange, just like WordStar and some other companies do. -- Leonard Erickson ...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard CIS: [70465,203] "I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." -- Solomon Short
jdm@hodge.UUCP (jdm) (09/24/89)
In article <-286529985@hpcupt1.HP.COM>, swh@hpcupt1.HP.COM (Steve Harrold) writes: > > Have you run the Sprint code through a "strings" program (a unix filter) > to see if the Borland product has copyright notices for the Microsoft > library that must have been linked in to produce the message you reported? > > Please report your result. Would be most interesting if true. Oh yes. I've already done that. It seems 9 of the 12 .EXE files in Sprint V1.01 contain the Microsoft run-time library copyright notice. I guess the orginal editors they bought was written in MSC and there was no reason to spend the money to convert it over to Turbo C. -- "I'm an anthropologist, not a computer systems architect, damit!" jdm@hodge.cts.com [uunet zardoz crash]!hodge!jdm James D. Murray, Ethnounixologist TEL: (714) 998-7750 Ext. 129 Hodge Computer Research Corporation FAX: (714) 921-8038 1588 North Batavia Street Orange, California 92667 USA