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From: jerry@oliveb.UUCP (Jerry Aguirre)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Pascal
Message-ID: <213@oliveb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 6-Nov-84 15:40:19 EST
Article-I.D.: oliveb.213
Posted: Tue Nov  6 15:40:19 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 8-Nov-84 19:36:35 EST
References: <211@oliveb.UUCP> <6138@mcvax.UUCP>
Organization: Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca
Lines: 20

Yes, you can write a compiler or text editor in Pascal if you are
willing to work with fixed length strings.  However if you want to be
able to handle large files with limited memory this can be
inefficient.  Put the text out on disk you say?  But remember standard
Pascal has no random I/O.  To get somewhere in the file you have to
read the entire file up to that point.  It seems to me that an editor
using fixed length records and seqential I/O is going to be real
ssssslllllooooowwwwww.

Please, no quotes about systems that handle text as fixed 80 column
records at 110 baud using paper tape.  Or stories about cooking over
a camp fire and walking 15 miles to school (in a blizard naturaly).

Of course you can write editors and compilers (and probably an OS) in
Pascal.  The language was invented for teaching people to do that sort
of thing.  However the difference between a class project and a tool
that gets commercial use can be a big one.

				Jerry Aguirre @ Olivetti ATC
{hplabs|fortune|idi|ihnp4|ios|tolerant|allegra|tymix}!oliveb!jerry