[net.unix-wizards] questions without answers

CHUQUI@MIT-MC@sri-unix (09/05/82)

From: Charles F. Von Rospach <CHUQUI at MIT-MC>
Date: 2 September 1982 21:42-EDT
Can anyone answer or point to answers for the following questions:

1> Does anyone know of a good Z80 cross assembler to run on 4.1bsd Vax unix?
	It should have full macro capability and be robust enough for a
	commercial environment.

2> Does anyone know of a good, fairly complete BASIC for 4.1bsd Vax unix?
	Everything seems to generate for PDP11 or 68K. Cbasic compatible
	is prefered, followed by MBASIC or BASIC+.

3> Does anyone have any documenation on 'compat'? All I can find out about it 
	is that it emulates PDP11 V7 Unix so you can run Zork. Is this correct?
	Is it robust enough to handle something like a CBASIC interpreter for 
	PDP11, or are we in for trouble? Where can I get detailed info on 
	compat?

thanks in advance,

chuck

chuqui at mit-mc

mo@LBL-UNIX@sri-unix (09/06/82)

From: mo at LBL-UNIX (Mike O'Dell [system])
Date: 3 Sep 1982 09:06:58-PDT
I can't tell you about Basic interpreters, but I can tell you
about the compat stuff.  While it isn't really documented, it
is solid, at least, solid enough to run the PDP-11 C compiler,
assembler, loader, and other development tools on a routine basis.
Almost all the sites running the Greep ARPAnet front-end do the
construction work on Vaxes and download into various 11-style
machines.  The only problem you might have is I don't think it
does floating point very well or at all (either case probably
implies a user-mode emulator with attendant performance problems).
So for the part that I use, it seems solid, but don't be surprised
if it gets poorer reviews running Basic.  There was a Basic done
by Bill Webb at the U of British Columbia Biology Lab which was
compatible with various micro Basic's (most notably Microsoft, I think)
via a switch which specified particular collections of misfeatures.
I thought Bill was going to put it on a Usenix tape, and who knows,
maybe he did!  You can probably get in touch with Bill and find out.
As for other Basics, has noone EVER implemented one in C??  I in fact
gave it some thought and just to show my forward-thinking, I looked
at the new Standard Basic. My Goodness, the little munchkins on that
committee were busy.  Another "inclusive-or" language. Sigh....

	Hope this helps,
	-Mike

CHUQUI@MIT-MC@sri-unix (09/08/82)

From: Charles F. Von Rospach <CHUQUI at MIT-MC>
Date: 5 September 1982 02:09-EDT
I have been given a premliminary pointer to a basic somewhere at santa cruz,
but no contacts or anything. Can anyone add detail to this, or is this a wild
goose chase? Is it available for use in a commercial system? (for those that
missed my previous note, I am in need of a robust basic for 4.1bsd Vax unix).

thanks,

chuck (chuqui at mit-mc)

FC01@USC-ECL@sri-unix (09/08/82)

From: FC01 <FC01 at USC-ECL>
Date:  5 Sep 1982 1242-PDT
Art Wetzel was from U. of Pittsburgh, not C-MU
Get the facts straight
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