Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!usc!ucsd!hub!eiffel!sarkela
From: sarkela@eiffel.UUCP (John Sarkela)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel
Subject: Re: Basic info
Summary: clarification of initial response
Message-ID: <212@eiffel.UUCP>
Date: 21 Nov 89 00:00:31 GMT
References: <1944@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu>
Organization: Interactive Software Engineering, Santa Barbara CA
Lines: 38


   In article <1962@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu>, Jim Wright writes:

>So it seems that Eiffel is tied to Unix, but I don't see how.  Is the
>only thing really required to run Eiffel a good C compiler to crunch
>on the output from Eiffel?  Or does it require some service offered by
>Unix?

Eiffel does not require Unix in order to compile a generated
application.  It does require support for signals, setjmp and
longjmp in the current implementation.  Our principle porting
constraint is the availability of lex and yacc.  The first passes 
of our current Eiffel compiler are implemented in C.  As such, 
Unix tends to be the friendly port environment.  When the fully 
meta-circular ( Eiffel in Eiffel ) compiler is available, 
we shall no doubt pursue non-unix platforms with greater vigor.  

>Also, how all-encompassing is Eiffel?  Is it a compiler in the sense of
>C or FORTRAN, or is it an environment in the sense of Smalltalk?

Eiffel is currently a compiler with some support tools.  As the tools
mature, the environment should become more complete.  Currently,
we provide tools for browsing, compiling, debugging, cross development,
and documentation.  

   BTW, In article <1117@castle.ed.ac.uk> Dave Berry writes:

>Is there a classification I've missed, or is John confusing
>functional design and functional programming?

Of course, John is confused in the extreme!   Most certainly I was
thinking of the top-down functional design methodologies which were made
popular by the procedural languages Pascal and C.  It is inconceivable
that one should confuse functional languages such as Lisp, Scheme, fp 
or ML with the imperative mode of expression used in C.  I can only 
attribute the slipup to too much surfing and not enough espresso.

    -- John Sarkela   sarkela@eiffel.com