Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!vsi1!hsv3!jls
From: jls@hsv3.UUCP (James Seidman)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: MS has NO free support for new SDK
Message-ID: <5083@hsv3.UUCP>
Date: 2 Oct 90 15:41:42 GMT
References: <37745@ut-emx.uucp> <1990Sep28.180704.17439@wrl.dec.com> <1990Oct1.164153.11563@sj.ate.slb.com>
Reply-To: jls@headland.UUCP (James Seidman)
Organization: Video Seven / Headland Technology
Lines: 33

In article <1990Oct1.164153.11563@sj.ate.slb.com> poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russell Poffenberger) writes:
>In article <1990Sep28.180704.17439@wrl.dec.com> leadfoot@leftlane.ucs.dec.com (Mark Curtis) writes:
>>...While in the store I didn't notice that I needed a
>>second monitor to use the debugger.  I am using a PS2 system that
>>only has 1 full size slot and one half size slot, a P70.  The full size
>>slot is already used for a dual async board, so adding another video
>>card is impossible.  I also don't look forward to picking up a 8514
>>card and another monitor $$$$.

>I don't know what you mean about the 8514, the second monitor only needs to be
>a simple monochrome monitor. I got a half card mono adapter card for $39, and
>a used mono monitor for $49 from a surplus store near here. It works great.

Notice that he had a PS/2 (poor guy!).  Of course there are no "half card
mono adapter cards" for MCA.  (Or half card anythings for MCA for that
matter.)  Out of curiosity, how much would people be willing to pay for
an MCA Herc-compatible card?  (I'm trying to convince my company that there's
actually some viable market for one...)

>Even if you don't have the monitor, you can still do debugging (sort of) by
>outputting messages to the screen (using TextOut) or popping up MessageBox'es
>with info at various places in your program. Not as thorough, but it can help.

Even debugging non-Windows apps this way is often impossible.  When your
system just crashes for no adequately explained reason (or, in the case
of Windows, you get an "Unrecoverable Application Error"), you have to
go through a tremendous amount of work figuring out where the problem is,
using a trial-and-error-and-recompile technique.  It takes *much* more time
than tracing through your program with any sort of debugger.
-- 
Jim Seidman (Drax), the accidental engineer.
UUCP: ames!vsi1!headland!jls
ARPA: jls%headland.UUCP@ames.nasa.arc.gov