Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!uunet!drivax!frotz
From: frotz@drivax.UUCP (Frotz)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: PCcurses v1.5 beta problems...
Summary: RFC Re:PCcurses directions...
Message-ID: <NSXN5Q1@drivax.UUCP>
Date: 12 Aug 90 21:28:50 GMT
Sender: frotz%drivax@uunet.uu.net
Reply-To: frotz%drivax@uunet.uu.net
Followup-To: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Organization: Digital Research, Monterey CA
Lines: 70


The beta for PCcurses 1.5 seems to have turned up a number of
gotchas that I was not expecting.  If you use PCcurses or know of
anyone who does, please forward this to them or have them
reply/followup. 

I originally tailored the 1.3 release to be Turbo C 2.0 specific.
I have tried to merge the 1.3 and 1.4 releases, but it appears
that I don't have a full grasp on the details of the bugs fixed
and that I am still (in some respects) at the 1.3 release. 

I have a number of questions that need to have answers and will
take the response of the network (summarized after about 2-3
weeks discussion). 

1)	v1.5 is significantly different enough from the 1.4
	release. I have unfortunately broken many things while
	enhancing others quite significantly.

	Q:	Should I release the library after a quick (1-2
		week) period of consolidation?

	My inclination is not to, but I want your opinion. 


2)	I want to try and support many compilers on the PC/DOS 
	platform.

	Q:	Should I assume that all compilers have the
		following [p]ANSI C capabilities?

		a)	#if defined().  It would be nice to be
			able to use:
				#if defined(__TURBOC__) || defined(MSC)

		b) function proto-types

		c) the macro: __<compilername>__

	Q:	Should I use the following contructs:

		#if	__TURBOC__
		#define	TURBOC	__TURBOC__
		#else
		#define	TURBOC	0
		#endif

		etc...?

3)	The only specification that I had available to me on
	curses was the X/Open specification.  Unfortunately, I
	didn't have it long enough to fully grasp the finer
	details...;-(

	Q:	Should I do full support (or at least as much as
		possible) for X/Open?

	Q:	How important is this?

4)	Turbo C provides vsscanf().  Other compilers may not.

	Q:	Does anyone have a free vsscanf()?  It would make the
		[mv][w]scanw() routines easier to implement portably.


Any help that you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Follow-ups directed to comp.os.mdos.programmer.  advTHANKSance

--
Frotz