Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!ucsd!pacbell.com!att!cbnewsl!cbnewsk!ech From: ech@cbnewsk.att.com (ned.horvath) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer Subject: Re: MPW 3 - why bother? Message-ID: <1991Jan10.190126.12521@cbnewsk.att.com> Date: 10 Jan 91 19:01:26 GMT References: <1991Jan10.222325.2753@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 28 From article <1991Jan10.222325.2753@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au>, by a_dent@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au: > Some time ago I replaced the terminal emulation in NCSA Telnet (2.2) with > Freedom One. This was using the MPW 2.02 environment. ... > Just WHAT deadly, dark, evil incompatibility is lurking around the corner > if we fail to convert this code to MPW 3? > > For anyone considering such a conversion, get the MPW C manual, read the > appendix of changes, then read the front of the manual, then meditate on > how many Str255 *'s you have, and how many string literal comparisons, and > MPW 3 - JUST SAY "NO" > (unless someone gives me a very good reason ;-) ) Under your circumstances, I'd agree: just say no. The awful conversion you contemplate is due to sins Apple committed long ago in trying to "help" C programmers by converting pascal strings on the fly but still supplying the minimal glue, etc. I wouldn't bother to try to convert anything as large and ugly as NCSA Telnet unless the fellow behind me had a very large knife and a very short temper. For new projects, the 3.x compilers produce much better code, and support C++ in the bargain, in addition to redressing those old sins. Even there, I'd wait (now) for the 3.2 compiler to go final: the dump/load and other new features should be worth another couple months' wait. =Ned Horvath=