a976@mindlink.UUCP (Ron Tarrant) (01/23/91)
> cmp8133@information-systems.east-anglia.ac.uk writes: > > I want to buy PowerWindows 2.5 for designing userinterfaces. > However, I'd like to program in Modula2 using Benchmark's Modula > 2 construction set. Does anyone know whether that's possible using > PowerWindows? > > Thanks, > > Steve > cmp8133@sys.uea.ac.uk > University of East Anglia > Norwich > England PW2.5 has two translators included, one for Benchmark M-II and the other for TDI. I can't tell you how good they are since I work almost exclusively in C. I can tell you that PW is a bit quirky and, when you first work with it, can be confusing. The manual is very little help unless you're a seasoned programmer (another case of letting the programmer write the manual instead of getting a professional writer to do it; sort of like getting an auto mechanic to director a film, it might get done but the results might not be worth looking at). But I digress too much... If you have problems finding your way around Power Windows 2.5, send me e-mail. I'll see if I can help. -Ron Tarrant a976@Mindlink.UUCP
cmp8133@information-systems.east-anglia.ac.uk ("S. Hawes") (01/24/91)
Hello, I want to buy PowerWindows 2.5 for designing userinterfaces. However, I'd like to program in Modula2 using Benchmark's Modula 2 construction set. Does anyone know whether that's possible using PowerWindows? The local shopkeepers here didn't know and they didn't want to open the package. I know that Lattice and Manx C, as well as MC68000 can be generated, but I also heard that with the packages comes a 'translation utility'. Is this correct ? Thanks, Steve cmp8133@sys.uea.ac.uk University of East Anglia Norwich England
walrus@wam.umd.edu (Udo K Schuermann) (01/26/91)
In article <5821.9101231729@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk> cmp8133@information-systems.east-anglia.ac.uk ("S. Hawes") writes: >I want to buy PowerWindows 2.5 for designing userinterfaces. >However, I'd like to program in Modula2 using Benchmark's Modula >2 construction set. Does anyone know whether that's possible using >PowerWindows? >I also heard that with the >packages comes a 'translation utility'. Is this correct ? First the good news: PowerWindows 2.5 supports Modula2. It mentions TDI (yuck) Modula2 specifically. I'm not sure about a 'translation utility.' Subjectively speaking, PW is a blessing when you're dealing with menus, lots of gadgets, and such stuff. Now the bad news: PowerWindows 2.5 has some bugs which are annoying, at least in the Manx/Lattice C code generation. I don't know if this will also affect Modula2 or other code. Specifically: struct IntuiText 1IText1 ... struct MenuItem 1Menu1 ... ^^ These extraneous digits (always "1") are VERY bothersome. They require editing of the generated source code, and they piss me off :( Does anyone know what's causing these? Left-over debugging statement? Overall, I agree with whoever said some time ago, something along the lines that PowerWindows 2.5 has enough bugs to make you want to rewrite it, but is not quite buggy enough to make it useless enough to force you to do it. One of these days ... ___ ._. Udo Schuermann / | \ "There is no Way to Peace. ( ) walrus@wam.umd.edu \/|\/ Peace is the Way!" -- Gandhi. ~~~
jnmoyne@lbl.gov (Jean-Noel MOYNE) (01/26/91)
In article <1991Jan25.210054.9388@wam.umd.edu> walrus@wam.umd.edu (Udo K Schuermann) writes: > Overall, I agree with whoever said some time ago, something along the > lines that PowerWindows 2.5 has enough bugs to make you want to > rewrite it, but is not quite buggy enough to make it useless enough to > force you to do it. One of these days ... > I agree with you ! Power Windows is quite dangerous for your nerves ! Happends sometimes that it will GURU in the midle of your work without any warnings (and before you could save it). It may also go wild when generating the code (especially when you deal with a lot of graphics), once the only way I had to go around the bug was to generate the datas in 2 parts (that means you'll have to modify all the references of one of the 2 files, by hand since it'll use the same var names for the 2 files). It lacks an option to put "chip" in front of the graphic datas for the Lattice too. You really want to rewrite it yourself in fact, but you never have the time. And it is soooo usefull, that you still use it... But you definitely wait for something else (or a new version). And note that version 2.5 is allready a big improvement from earlier versions (like the first one didn't want you to use windows of more than 200 lines, great for PAL users) JNM -- These are my own ideas (not LBL's) " Just make it!", BO in 'BO knows Unix'