Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!raybed2!rayssd!anomaly!mpd From: mpd@anomaly.sbs.com (Michael P. Deignan) Newsgroups: comp.databases Subject: Re: Clipper 5.01 error message Keywords: Clipper Arghhhh Message-ID: <1991May12.124328.7043@anomaly.sbs.com> Date: 12 May 91 12:43:28 GMT References: <1991May7.235644.28744@gmuvax2.gmu.edu> <1991May09.090352.17859@anomaly.sbs.com> <1991May11.031607.25343@pegasus.com> Organization: Small Business Systems, Inc., Esmond, RI 02917 Lines: 117 tleylan@pegasus.com (Tom Leylan) writes: >I can't understand why nobody wants to talk to you I usually enjoy being >called an asshole and a dipshit... I assume you greet your customers with a >smile when they rant and rave. I don't consider the expectation of a nearly bug-free software product to be too big an expectation, do you? After all, they've over six months get do it. I think the folks at Nantucket need some of Phillip Crosby's "Do It Right The First Time" Quality programs. >I don't know what "linkedit" is nor have I heard of a "link editor" so forgive >me my stupidity. Its a leftover term from my IBM mainframe systems programming days. You "link edit" your object decks to create a "load module" or a "phase", depending on which OS you're running. >Are you using the .RTLink that was supplied with the product? I have to, as Blinker won't even linkedit the simplist 5.01a 1-line-of-code application. "Invalid COMDEF value" (or similar) error message is yielded by Blinker. This is a known problem and a phone call to Blinkinc tech support will yield a pre-recorded message explaining that a it will be fixed by version 1.5. This, however, is not my problem. >Quite possibly you >could speed up the process by calling both companies and calling them assholes. Not at all. They didn't promise me a bug-free 5.01a version of their product, did they? >The error you mention sounds like you may have renamed the overlay or possibly >you copied the app but left an external overlay in another subdirectory. If >you aren't using external overlays perhaps you renamed the .EXE file, can't >swear to it but the original name of the .EXE is probably contained in the >file for reference when the overlayed portion of the file needs to be read >in. I'll explain this once more: 1. I compile my .PRG's 2. I linkedit an .EXE file 3. I run it. It will get to a certain point in the program and either "hang" (requiring a hard-reset) or I will get the "Unrecoverable error 415" message (which even Nantucket says isn't in their "secret manual" from Pocketsoft.) Note that there is NO intermediate step where the .EXE is renamed, copied, etc. There is NO .OVL file (Thus making me wonder why the program is looking for an "overlay file" in the first place.) 4. Since I now say "Okay, its a program bug", I now re-compile ALL PRG's with the "/b" switch (making NO code changes) and re- linkedit the .EXE file. This will allow me to run the debugger and see what is happening. 5. I re-run the .EXE via CLD, and, mimicing the EXACT keystrokes, the program will run with NO hangup/error. 6. I re-run the .EXE from the dos program, and, mimicing the EXACT keystrokes, the program will run with NO hangup/error. 7. I re-re-compile all .PRG's without the "/b" switch, to get rid of all the extra debugging stuff, and re-re-linkedit the .EXE 8. I re-re-run the .EXE which should be, in theory, identical to the .EXE created in step #2, and it will run with NO hangup/error. A call to Nantucket yielded "Oh, its a problem with your program." ARRRRRGH! Now you see why I'm SO PISSED. NO IT'S NOT a problem with my program! Its a problem with either the Clipper compiler, or the .RTlink linker! I'm sorry, the little smiley face in the "Cannot load overlay file '*'" should be a clear indication to EVERYONE that something, somewhere, is not getting linked properly, and thus there is an un-initialized pointer or some other such nonesense. >In any case you hardly make a case for your problem with the way you phrase >your messages, I personally don't care what your problem is any more and if >it were in my power I would refund your money if you agreed to go purchase >FoxPro. I'm sorry if you get offended, but I get really offended when someone at Nantucket throws me the "its a problem with your program" line of crap. At this point, I'm sorry I even got involved with Clipper 5.0 at all. I should have stayed with S'87. 15,000 lines of code later, however, I have no choice, it has to be 5.0. >You don't need the grief and frankly neither does anyone else. Nobody deserves the grief Nantucket is spewing. I guess they wanted to release a bug-free version of their product, and the easiest way to insure that is to make sure any technical problems were "problems with programs" and not their product. Sorry, it don't wash. MD -- -- Michael P. Deignan / Since I *OWN* SBS.COM, -- Domain: mpd@anomaly.sbs.com / These Opinions Generally -- UUCP: ...!uunet!rayssd!anomaly!mpd / Represent The Opinions Of -- Telebit: +1 401 455 0347 / My Company...