Franz@inf.ethz.ch (10/29/90)
Could you please post the announcement included
below in the newsgroup Comp.sys.mac.announce .
Thank you very much.
-- Michael
Michael Franz
Computersysteme ETH Zurich Switzerland
=
Announcing the Availability of MacOberon
----------------------------------------
Oberon simultaneously refers to a modular, extensible operating
system and an object_oriented programming language developed
for implementing it. Both were conceived originally for the Ceres
personal workstation, but have since been implemented on a
number of other machine architectures using a portable compiler
front_end as a common starting point. The Oberon language is the
direct successor of Pascal and Modula-2 and was developed by the
same designer, Prof. Dr. Niklaus Wirth.
Oberon is genuinely extensible. It abandons the notion of a
"program" altogether, but instead enables users to execute
individual procedures directly. The operating system offers a
basic set of such procedures. Users may add functionality simply
by writing a module and compiling. The new procedures may be
activated as soon as compilation has completed, as Oberon allows
modules to be added to the system dynamically at run-time. As
the compiler is very fast and no linking is necessary, responsiveness
is comparable to that of interpreted systems.
MacOberon is a complete implementation of the Oberon language
and operating system for Apple Macintosh?II computers. It is built
on top of the existing Macintosh operating system and runs as a
single process (application) in a MultiFinder environment. All
standard Oberon library functions are included, enabling users to
bring existing Oberon software to the Macintosh by mere
recompilation. In addition to a full implementation of the regular
Oberon modules, MacOberon provides a flexible interface allowing
access to the Macintosh operating system and Toolbox routines.
Consequently, MacOberon may be used as a powerful environment
for developing applications that will eventually run outside of the
Oberon context.
MacOberon requires at least a MC68020 processor and does not run
on Macintosh Plus computers. A large screen is highly recommended.
MacOberon Version 1.2 has been placed in the public domain and
is available at no cost from the implementors. It may be obtained
via anonymous FTP. However, we ask you to register as a user so
that we may inform you of updates and changes. The basic modules
of MacOberon are available in BinHexed StuffIt format from:
neptune@inf.ethz.ch
Internet Address: 129.132.101.33
Login Name: anonymous
Password: <your e-mail address>
Directory: Oberon/MacII
A file named "readme" provides further instructions. There is also
a version for Sun SPARC machines contained in the subdirectory
"Oberon/SPARC". Documentation in PostScript format is also
provided.
If you don't have FTP access to the Internet, we can send MacOberon
to you via physical mail when you provide us with an empty floppy
disk and an address label with your return address on it. Do not send
stamps (unless you have the Swiss variety available) or envelopes.
We will take care of that. Send your disk and an address label to:
Michael Franz
Institut fur Computersysteme
ETH Zentrum IFW E48.2
8092 Zurich
Switzerland
We will then send you MacOberon by air mail, but this may take some
time due to the vagaries of the international postal system.
Once you have obtained MacOberon and plan on using it, please
register as a user by sending a short message to:
franz@inf.ethz.ch
You will then receive notice of updates and changes. Bug reports
(for which we are grateful) should be directed at the same address.
Oberon is not a commerical product and still under development. While
the compiler seems to be quite reliable, we cannot guarantee that it
is free of errors. No user support can be given at this point.
Michael Franz franz@inf.ethz.ch
Computersysteme ETH Zurich Switzerland +41-1-254'73'14
---
References:
N. Wirth.
- Type Extensions.
ACM Trans. on Prog. Languages and Systems, 10, 2 (April 1988), 204-214.
- From Modula to Oberon.
Software - Practice and Experience, 18, 7, (July 1988), 661-670.
- The Programming Language Oberon.
Software - Practice and Experience, 18, 7, (July 1988), 671- 690.
- Designing a System from Scratch.
Structured Programming, 10, 1 (Jan. 1989), 10-18.
N. Wirth and J. Gutknecht.
- The Oberon System.
Software - Practice and Experience, 19 , 9 (Sept. 1989), 857-893.