Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!kent
From: kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu (Kent D. Polk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Metacomo Pascal
Message-ID: <1143@swrinde.nde.swri.edu>
Date: 6 Feb 91 15:23:06 GMT
References: <9590@dog.ee.lbl.gov> <18826.27b0abaa@windy.dsir.govt.nz>
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Organization: Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
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In article <18826.27b0abaa@windy.dsir.govt.nz> srwmcln@windy.dsir.govt.nz writes:
>In article <9590@dog.ee.lbl.gov>, jnmoyne@lbl.gov (Jean-Noel MOYNE) writes:
>> References:<43675@nigel.ee.udel.edu> <841@cbmger.UUCP>
>>
>>   Yes !!! Just forget about Metacomo Pascal, unless you like 
>> _really_minimalists_ pascal compilers ! (i.e. string ? what's that ? never 
>> heard of ! And don't ever dream about opening a window or do fancy things 
>> like that).
>> 
>Version 2 of Metacomco Pascal is much better than earlier releases,
>Jean-Noel's comments are years out of date.

Yes, MCC 2.0x has strings, but there are problems. I wrote a simple
database system using 2.0x since I thought that it was mature enough.
I was wrong.

One of the very common string commands (forgot which one now) took an
inordinately long time - on the order of .2 seconds to complete its
operation. I ended up writing a replacement for it that worked at
expected speeds. Structure pointers still don't get dereferenced
correctly, 'with' gets confused so easy it is pathetic, sets passed to
a procedure or function often get scrambled.

There were 3 or 4 more major problems, only I can't remember that far
back :^(

I wrote a bug list of all these problems to MCC but never did hear back
from them. I also never again received an update notice :^)

Kent Polk: Southwest Research Institute (512) 522-2882
Internet : kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu
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