Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!deejay!gear!cadlab!staff From: staff@cadlab.sublink.ORG (Alex Martelli) Newsgroups: comp.std.c Subject: C on IBM machines (was: Proposed Enhancement to select/case) Message-ID: <268@cadlab.sublink.ORG> Date: 12 Sep 90 20:43:08 GMT References: <1990Aug30.164610.3519@zoo.toronto.edu> <13714@smoke.BRL.MIL> <13719@smoke.BRL.MIL> <1762 Organization: CAD.LAB, Bologna, Italia Lines: 31 meissner@osf.org (Michael Meissner) writes: >Reality check time -- as far as I know, there is no C compiler for the >AS/400. It would be an interesting experience, in a sick sort of way >from what little I've heard about the internals of this beast. Also, I don't know either, but I do know that IBM is *COMMITTED* to release a C for AS/400, as well as a Fortran - both of these languages are a crucial part of the Common Programming Interface (CPI) of Standard Application Architecture (SAA), and AS/400 is "the heart of SAA" (with OS/2 being the feet and VM and MVS together the head, I guess). >up until last year or so, C had real little penetration in the 370 >market placem, except on Amdahl's version of unix. Little but sometimes crucial, as in SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences - IBM wouldn't sell many new 370-like beasts to Universities without the humanity depts. plugging for them because of it...), the REXX-Compiler for VM by IBM itself, the prototype dictation-driven 'voice typewriter' by Jelinek et al in Yorktown, etc. That's not really the point though - the point is, rather, that if you have a beautiful portable C application, and relish the thought of getting the beeg moola application SW on mainframes goes for, you'd BETTER think about problems related to portability to non-ASCII machines. What equivalent economic incentive is there to push you to worry about portability to one's complement machines? -- Alex Martelli - CAD.LAB s.p.a., v. Stalingrado 45, Bologna, Italia Email: (work:) staff@cadlab.sublink.org, (home:) alex@am.sublink.org Phone: (work:) ++39 (51) 371099, (home:) ++39 (51) 250434; Fax: ++39 (51) 366964 (work only; any time of day or night).