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From: joe@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu (Joseph T. Rohde)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Zortech Problems
Message-ID: <5480@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 3 Aug 90 22:50:13 GMT
Sender: joe@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Ohio State University
Lines: 55


First, I'd like to start off by saying that the Zortech compilers are
great.  Fast, efficient, and produces nice code.  Also, the global
optimizer works very well, and they attempt to tell you all the bugs
so you don't have to discover them yourself.

Now the bad side....I just received my 2.0 -> 2.1 upgrade. I'll start
with the technical problems.

 - zdbv86 does not work.  The processor is a 386SX (true model 55sx)
   and even with no TSR's or memory devices the same error occurs.
   The error is the general disk failure, Abort, Retry......
   Dos is 4.0 with 4dos running.  Seems like an odd error, all the
   other debuggers come up ok, but this was the one I wanted to
   use.

 - I like 43/50 row modes.  I am running True Blue VGA, and whenever
   zwb runs zdb and zdb returns the screen is lost... The mouse 
   is restricted to the top 4 rows, and the windows are all corrupt.

--------------------------------------------
Non-Technical problems....
 - This would not have been upsetting, but as a person upgrading 
   and not a company, this was a lot of money to me.  I updated
   my 2.0 COMPILER to the 2.1 DEVELOPER set.  This was a hefty 
   price, but I figured it was as good a time as any to do it.
   All the upgrade documentions (and their aren't any new manuals
   except for tools, and a ~180 page update guide) refer to the
   'previous 2.0 manuals' and of course they did not send the
   2.0 manuals that I didn't have since I only had the compiler.

 - Although the Zortech 800 number people said they would send me 
   what I needed, I'm not convinced they had any idea what I
   needed or why.  (And it only took 4 calls -- Partially my fault
   since I didn't want to call from work and this left me calling
   at the edges of business hours [yes, I know it was an 800 number])

--------------------------------------------

Sorry this was so long, but I wanted to mention this to everyone
in case they have similar problems.  I'm not upset, just a little
bothered by the quality of the upgrade for the cost.  I do want
to say once again that as a compiler system, Zortech is GREAT.
The tools source looks real good, and the debuggers look ok,
but I haven't had time to really break anything so I can give
it a power run.

Joe

ps.  The emacs keybinding's in zwb are minimal.... ^L, ^A, ^E stuff...not
     even ^X^S, ^X^F or meta.  ^X, ESC and ^O just bring up menus.
     Not awful, but I think I'll stick to Freemacs and make...

pps. zwb  = Zortech Workbench
     zdb* = Zortech Debugger