ern@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Ernest J Obusek) (11/29/89)
Does any one have any idea what the h*ll Manx has done to their compiler that has taken more than a year? All I hear is that it has ANSI support. Does it really take this long to add ANSI support? I've decided to dump Manx and upgrade to Lattice. Manx can keep their new v4 compiler - I don't want it. Ernest ern@unix.cis.pitt.edu ern@cisunx.UUCP
plav@cup.portal.com (Rick M Plavnicky) (12/02/89)
What with everyone telling their stories WRT the Manx upgrade, I
thought I'd add mine.
According to the women I spoke with (Mona and (I think) Janet), their
`Amiga person' wasn't in at the time, so getting hard answers was a
little tough. It was a short call, and I spent a good deal of time on
hold, but they were nothing but courteous and tried hard to help.
The biggest thing about the 5.0 release seems to be ANSI compatibility.
(Why it took this long, we'll never know!) The integrated environment
that Jim was raving about at the last AmiExpo (New York) is not
included, or even available. The compiler system has been endowed with
Arexx ports. SDB too? Can't say, I forgot to ask :( . Speaking of
SDB, it too has been upgraded. I asked specifically if the floating
point and char array problems had been fixed - affirmative. Of
course, the supplied header files are for AmigaDOS 1.3. Finally, the
manual has been completely revised. Now it's perfect-bound, and if the
one I saw at AmiExpo (since they're only being printed now, that one
must've been a pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-release I guess :-) was any
indication, it should be WAY more useful than the 3.6a and earlier
docs. Manx assured me that each future upgrade WILL include a complete
set of new docs. Yay! No more stuffing cheesy ring-binders...
The upgrade costs $75, and that includes a new SDB if you've already
got it. I asked specifically about the logic of this; if you haven't
god SDB now, the $75 just upgrades the compiler package, but if you
have SDB the $75 includes it. Go figure. They offered no explanation or
alternative. Shipping choices are UPS surface for $5 and FedEx for $10.
As everyone knows, 5.0 has been in beta for some time now. Neither of
the women I spoke with was able to tell me whether or not the beta
testers had lots of bugs to report, or what. Since at least one person
on the net has claimed to be a tester, and since nobody's said anything
really terrible, I'll venture a guess that it's not too bad :-)
Currently, Manx is waiting to get the new manuals back from the printers,
and they plan on shipping 2nd week December (hmmmm).
I decided to upgrade. They were able to locate the compiler serial
number from my name and zip code, but had no luck with my SDB serial so
I'll have to call them back Monday. (Do I see trouble on the horizon?)
They explicitly mentioned that my credit card wouldn't be charged until
they actually ship.
Lastly, Manx has moved. No longer in Eatontown, NJ, their new address
is:
Manx Software Systems
160 Avenue of Commons
Shrewsbury, New Jersey
07702
The number I called was: (201) 389-0290
Disclaimer: My only relationship with Manx is that of a customer. The
stuff I wrote above is based on what Manx told me on the phone this
morning.
Rick Plavnicky
{...}!sun!cup.portal.com!plav
"I've got a bunch of bananas, and a bottle of bleach..."