daemon@stag.UUCP (11/29/87)
juancho@dgp.toronto.edu (John Buchanan) writes: > A proposal for extended argument passing is floatting around > Instead of forgetting about it lets adopt it. You ask how? This is how. > First Atari will endorse it and fix their compilers so that they support > it, then They will release free roms that fix this and other bugs, then > all the software houses will adopt it. Yes, a proposal has been released for passing extended arguments, and I certainly thinks it should be adopted (I helped write it, so I'm biased). Atari hasn't officially endorsed it in any way, but you may have noticed that the standard was approved of and posted by apratt@atari (Allan Pratt). However, the "how" cited above is not needed. The COMPILER is not the problem, it's the LIBRARY routines (the _main() function in most cases) and various command shells which need to change. I'm willing to support any software house or developer of shells or applications that wants to use XARGs, by giving source code and/or advice freely. As a matter of fact, since dLibs (my libraries for Alcyon C) are unrestricted public domain software, other compiler vendors are free to include any of my routines directly in their own libraries. It would also be nice if the desktop (which IS* a command shell of sorts) passed extended arguments, but that WOULD* require a ROM change (hmm.. how 'bout it Allan?). Obviously, the new ROMs couldn't be free, but I'd be willing to pay for new ROMs that fixed some of the GEMDOS bugs as well as added some new features. Dale Schumacher ..ihnp4!meccts!stag!syntel!dal (alias: Dalnefre')