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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!orca!tekecs!patcl
From: patcl@tekecs.UUCP (Pat Clancy)
Newsgroups: net.lang.mod2
Subject: Re: one pass compiler
Message-ID: <4005@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Aug-84 01:42:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.4005
Posted: Mon Aug 27 01:42:36 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Aug-84 20:17:30 EDT
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 25



    >> ...The Volition 
    >> compiler does not allow forward reference without a forward
    >> declaration.  In practice this has never proven to be a problem.

Some two year old flyers I have from Volition do indeed state (in the
"fine print") that Pascal-style forward declarations are required.
I would have thought they would have fixed this by now, since this
is not really Modula-2 (in fact, I think they called it "Modula-][").
loral!ian's assertion that it is not a problem is surprising. 
First, the Pascal-style ordering requirements can be very awkward
and constraining; imposing them on Modula-2 is morally repugnant.
Second, it means that a forward declaration of an identifier may have
to be put *outside* the module in which that identifier is declared,
which certainly violates the spirit of the module syntax.

I don't know if Volition even allows forward declarations of all
identifiers, or just procedures. The Modula-2 scope rules
do not restrict the types of yet-to-be-declared identifiers that may 
be referenced in statements.

Pat Clancy
Tektronix
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