CS117205@YUSOL.BITNET (04/25/87)
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 87 23:23 EDT
From: <CS117205@YUSOL.BITNET>
Subject: Flame on TDI Modula-2!
To: Info-Atari16@Score.Stanford.edu
X-Original-To: Info-Atari16@Score.Stanford.edu, CS117205
I am really ticked off! Don't worry its not really a bug, this goes
under the `limitation' department. I was writing a definition module in
TDI's Modula-2 (Ver 2.00A, Developer's version), and I came across two
annoying characteristics with this compiler.
The first has to do with the data types which you are permitted to
use with procedure functions (M-2's equivalent of a Pascal function). I
have a set of procedure functions which return vector records (specifically
state information data structures). Well, I stick my definition module
which contained the aforementioned procedure functions, through the compiler,
and guess what I get? A lovely little error 88 in those procedure functions.
I look up in the manual and it says that an error 88 is "function type is
not scalar or basic type". Why does TDI assume that I will never need to pass
a descriptor between modules? That really infuriates me, especially after
what I spent for the original version and then the second upgrade.
The other thing is sets. Why does Modula-2, limit me to only 128
elements in a large set? What if I was creating some routines which
required set elements greater than that number (for example the ASCII
character set)?
My question to anyone out there who is using Modula-2 is, are these
bugs fixed in the new version (version 3.0X)? I have not got the third
upgrade and I am debating on whether I should. Any help would be much
appreciated.
Brian.
"Every day, I get closer and closer.....to getting a Mac+!!!"
|Dept. of CS Opinions expressed | cs117205%yusol.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edu
|York U, here do not necessarily | cs117205@yusol
|Toronto. represent those of | Brian McColgan
|Ont., Cdn. York University. | "The Moose is Loose!"