dubner@hpspkla.spk.hp.com (Joe Dubner) (09/07/90)
I had been having a devil of a time with the new Turbo C (Turbo C++, version 1.00). It would hang up for no apparent reason (later found to be related to a bug called the "growing project file". In addition, the application program would crash when trying to do things with the overlay features (later found to be a bug in OVERLAY.LIB in the huge memory model). Maybe everyone except me already knew about the availability of patches for Turbo C. I found out by calling Borland's technical support (408-438-5300) and asking exactly the right questions (like, "do you have any updates to the program and how can I get them"). A co-worker had been calling them for weeks with similar bug reports but never received any help. The tech support person I reached didn't seem to know anything technical but was quite adept at putting me on hold and asking someone else. The answer to exactly the right question is "yes, in a file called TCPPT1.ZIP on Compu$erve and on Borland's BBS (404-439-9181, login password is serial number of software)". I also asked about two programs that were referenced in the manual but not on the disks: TCCNVT.EXE and PRJ2MAK.EXE. The first converts old format configuration files and the second builds makefiles from project files. The tech support person relayed to me that the programs weren't yet ready to ship; he didn't know when they would be ready; and he would mail me a disk when they were ready. Alas, I neglected to ask the right questions about Turbo Assembler 2.0 and Turbo Debugger 2.0 (i.e. "do you have any updates to the program"). If anyone knows the answer, please share it with me. Excerpted from the README.PAT file, here are the bugs this update fixes: [1] Growing .PRJ files Project files will grow to enormous sizes in certain situations. If your project files seem extraordinarily large, apply the patches and then reconstruct the project file. If you don't reconstruct the .PRJ file, the problem may still exist. If you allow the project files to continually grow, you may encounter a variety of strange behavior from the environment, including possible compiler hangs. [2] CGA Border Color When exiting the Turbo C++ programmer's platform, the border color of CGA video cards gets set to BLUE. Run Time Libraries ================== [1] FINDFIRST / FINDNEXT - PTFNDFST.BAT The findfirst()/findnext() functions load _errno with the incorrect value when no more files are located. [2] SETJMP - PTSETJMP.BAT The setjmp function invalidates the di register. [3] REALLOC - PTREALOC.BAT The realloc function allows the allocation of more than available memory in the small data models. [4] HEAPFILLFREE - PTFILFRE.BAT Under certain conditions farheapfillfree and nearheapfillfree would corrupt memory. [5] WILDARGS The WILDARGS.OBJ shipped with Turbo C++ 1.0 does not operate in the large data models properly. Overlays ======== Using _ovrbuffer to set a new overlay pool size does not work in the huge memory model. Header files ============ The DOS.H header file shipped with Turbo C++ did not include macro versions of inportb() and outportb(). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Dubner K7JD | Hewlett Packard Company | dubner@hpspkla.HP.COM | TAFC-34 M.S. 2I | (509) 921-3514 (work) | Spokane, WA 99220 | (208) 765-3458 (home) --------------------------------------------------------------------------
dubner@hpspkla.spk.hp.com (Joe Dubner) (09/10/90)
> The answer to exactly the right question is "yes, in a file called > TCPPT1.ZIP on Compu$erve and on Borland's BBS (404-439-9181, login > password is serial number of software)". Sorry about the typographical error, but the area code in the phone number is wrong. The correct number is 408-439-9181. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Dubner K7JD | Hewlett Packard Company | dubner@hpspkla.HP.COM | TAFC-34 M.S. 2I | (509) 921-3514 (work) | Spokane, WA 99220 | (208) 765-3458 (home) --------------------------------------------------------------------------