Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!samsung!umich!sharkey!cfctech!teemc!fmeed1!cage
From: cage@fmeed1.UUCP (Russ Cage)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Porting UNIX apps. to MS-DOS
Summary: You gotta sweat the architecture.
Message-ID: <8616@fmeed1.UUCP>
Date: 31 Oct 90 14:25:04 GMT
References: <90296.205211DLV101@psuvm.psu.edu> <1990Oct26.223541.26634@NCoast.ORG> <9449@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> <5497@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>
Reply-To: russ@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us (Russ Cage)
Organization: Ford Motor Co., Electronics Div., Dearborn, MI
Lines: 19

I tackled the porting of some MIT music synthesis code from
VAX over to MSC on a PC/AT a few years ago.  The biggest
problem was (deja vu?) VAX-hackers allocating enormous arrays
as automatics.  (A pair of 10,000 element float arrays, for
example...)  Anyway, Craig Harris wanted it done, so I did it.

MSC requires HUGE pointers and use of halloc() (if memory
serves, it has been a while) to reference objects that big.
But the code can be re-written with a bit of care and it
can be made to work.

The second biggest hassle was the penchant of VAXhackers
for de-referencing NULL.  Aside from whupping them upside
the head with an ASR-33, I have no solution for that.
-- 
Russ Cage	Ford Powertrain Engineering Development Department
Work:  itivax.iti.org!cfctech!fmeed1!cage   (CHATTY MAIL NOT ANSWERED HERE)
Home:  russ@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us  (All non-business mail)
Member:  HASA, "S" division.