Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Imake versus cpp
Message-ID: <9010040321.AA04867@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 4 Oct 90 03:21:54 GMT
Sender: root@athena.mit.edu (Wizard A. Root)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 27

> I've been trying to get the imake in the R4 tapes ( /mit/config )
> working on VMS. I've been using two C preprocessors :

>                 Gnu cpp
>                 DECUS C cpp     /mit/util/cpp on the MIT R4 tape.

> I didn't get it working.  Has somebody else tried building imake for
> VMS ??

Not for VMS, but I had trouble getting imake to behave on the NeXT.
The supplied cpp is an ANSI cpp; it causes imake great indigestion.
Similarly with the DECUS cpp; it may or may not be quite ANSI, but it's
close enough to cause trouble.  I eventually gave up and brought over
source to the Reiser cpp.

The problem is that imake uses cpp as a fancy stream editor, while it's
intended, and specced, as a C preprocessor.

MIT, perhaps you could have imake use one of the free Reiser-style cpp
clones, and distribute it with X, rather than depending on the native
preprocessor to behave in a manner it is not guaranteed to and less and
less commonly will with the advent of ANSI C?

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu