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From: ccc_ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Modula-2 for Mac?
Message-ID: <671.266ea0ae@waikato.ac.nz>
Date: 7 Jun 90 06:45:02 GMT
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Lines: 49

I'm looking for recommendations for a Modula-2 compiler for the Macintosh.
I'd be grateful to anybody who has any suggestions to make. I saw the ad
for the Metrowerks compilers in MacTutor. Has anybody used any of these?
Also, didn't TML use to sell a compiler? Is it still available?

My preference is that the compiler run in the Macintosh Programmer's
Workshop environment. I'm prepared to listen to differing viewpoints,
but I've been an MPW hacker for a year and a half now, and as far as
I'm concerned, MPW is the neatest programming environment on any PC.

Specific questions you might like to consider are:

* What extensions have been made to the language? In particular, are
  inlines supported, a la Pascal? (I have this personal prejudice
  against having to link in lots of assembly-language "glue".)
* Does the language have full SANE support, including single, double
  and extended precision reals?
* Are the Toolbox and OS interface files up to date (as of MPW version 3.1)?
  Are any additional interface definitions available, such as the ones for
  the Communications Toolbox?
* How elaborate is the run-time support? How does the compiler get the
  MPW linker to initialise modules in the right order? Is there checking
  for circular import relationships? (Regardless of how Wirth feels,
  I consider this essential.)
* Is it possible to write stand-alone code resources? (Desk accessories,
  HyperCard externals etc).
* Is there any provision for symbolic debugging? For example, the
  compiler might generate debugging information compatible with SADE
  by pretending to be Pascal.
* Any feeling for the reliability of the compiler? The other two MPW
  compilers I use are TML Pascal II (because I like Pascal) and Apple's
  C compiler (because I have to). With these, I've been finding about
  one compiler problem every 5-10,000 lines of code (at a rough estimate).

These are just suggestions. If you have any other points you think are
worthy of mention, feel free to do so.

If this question has been asked before (as it probably has been), I'd
appreciate a copy of the summary of replies. Otherwise, as usual, mail
me your recommendations, and I'll summarise to both comp.lang.modula2
and comp.sys.mac.programmer.

Lawrence D'Oliveiro
Computer Services Dept                    fone: +64-71-562-889
University of Waikato                      fax: +64-71-384-066
Hamilton, New Zealand            electric mail: ldo@waikato.ac.nz
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