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From: grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au (Frobozz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: HP48 compact arrays
Message-ID: <7264@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>
Date: 12 Feb 91 23:47:44 GMT
References: <5966@hplabsb.HP.COM> <27b4e2a1:1997.2comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs. <27b83c55:1997.3comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP>
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In <27b83c55:1997.3comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP> akcs.gadiel@hpcvbbs.UUCP (Gadiel Seroussi) writes:

>What I wanted was a data type that could not be easily manipulated except
>for the provided functions. That more or less rules out all other 
>types, except Code, but I don't need to tell you why using Code would
>be a terrible idea. So, so far I have not seen any convincing argument
>against using Linked Arrays. By the way, one assertion (at least) in 
>a previous posting of mine was incorrect: I do use a built-in object
>(NEWOB) on linked arrays in the IPUT function, and nothing bad happens.


Why not use a binary integer (or even a string, they are stored identically)?
The HP can handle extended length binarys (have a look at the alarm stuff in
the nameless directory), there would be no problems calling internal routines
on them.  Of course, the user might ba able to abuse them a little.  This
method does have the advantage that you are using a data type whose behaviour
is relatively well known (it is unlikely to surprise you in mysterious ways).
Linked arrays are currently a big unknown (I've seen nothing about them
anyway), NEWOB could cause all kinds of problems (since it can trigger
garbage collections which will know something about real linked arrays).


This isn't really a convincing argument against using linked arrays, it is
more an expression of an alternative option.  (I use strings for my machine
code accessable data structures when a built-in type is not adequate.  My
reversi program does this and it is the only machine code I've posted that
uses this 'trick' --- I think).






							Pauli
seeya

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