Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!UWEC.BITNET!S703975 From: S703975@UWEC.BITNET (ANDREW TREMBLEY) Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2 Subject: M-2, Pascal, and Zowie!!! _Ada_! Message-ID: <891203.15352902.095605@UWEC.CP6> Date: 3 Dec 89 21:35:00 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: Modula2 List Organization: The Internet Lines: 43 Here at UWEC, our introductory level courses use Turbo 4.0. This is done partly because of the ease of using a compiler with integrated editor on a single user system. for Data Structures coursework, we're currently using modula (primarily because of its opaque types). It happens to be the Logitech/Hamburg for VMS. The version which we have has at least three very nasty bugs which crash the compiler (If anyone wants a description, drop me a note and I'll find out exactly what they are, and exactly what they do). Anyway, the current situation now is to keep pascal for the intro level courses--it frees up our four VAXstation II's and our 11/750, and use M-2 for the sophomore and higher level courses in which pascal or modula would be appropriate. However, there is the possibility/likelihood that for these courses we may be switching to Ada. The reasons are: it's Digital's compiler, and we can go screaming to them if something goes wrong. It's also (practically) free. There are other reasons, mostly relating to the way that Ada can handle generic procedures and such. The Logitech M-2 compiler is really a port of Wirth's code to other systems by Frankfurt University (don't ask me were Hamburg comes in with the name-- I assume that there's no relation to the city) which is distributed in the US by Logitech. Therefore (as last I heard) Logitech can't do much to support it, and my Data Structures professor (who has spent much time talking to Logitech support teams) says that Logitech may even disown the compiler completely. This isn't to say that I dislike Logitech myself--I haven't crashed it myself, tho others I know have, and I prefer its error handling system over Turbo Pascal by leaps and bounds. It's so much easier if you can go through and correct a bunch of errors all at once instead of recompiling every time you correct an error. Andy Trembley S703975 @ uwec.bitnet Oh, and one question: does anyone know how Met-Com Modula-2 handles NEW and DISPOSE. I'd like to use it to write and debug my code before dumping it to the VAXcluster for collection, but can't very well do that if I can't use NEW and DISPOSE for my hidden types. If I could get this to work, I could do my work on the Mac, use GREP to find my changes, and switch the stuff over rather painlessly. dankesehr