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From: guido@boring.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: binary postings (Re: net.sources.mac and shareware (...))
Message-ID: <6693@boring.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 17-Nov-85 20:43:16 EST
Article-I.D.: boring.6693
Posted: Sun Nov 17 20:43:16 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 19-Nov-85 05:57:31 EST
References: <2998@sun.uucp> <2237@amdahl.UUCP>
Reply-To: guido@mcvax.UUCP (Guido van Rossum)
Distribution: net
Organization: "Stamp Out BASIC" Committee, CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 28
Apparently-To: rnews@mcvax.LOCAL

In article <2237@amdahl.UUCP> ems@amdahl.UUCP (ems) writes:
>What about the new MacOwners who don't have all the binaries yet?  When
>I first got my mac, net.sources.mac was indespensable in making it
>a usable machine.

Macs are sufficiently widespread now that there better ways of getting
everyone a copy of the basic "hacks" than posting them to the net every
two months (like, user groups and knowledgeable friends in general).

>What about those who don't have a compiler yet?
>Those who don't want to lay out $N, where N is large, for M,
>where M is large, different environments/compilers?

The large M is indeed a problem.  Perhaps someone could post
	a) a list of differences between various compilers
	b) guidelines for writing "portable" Mac programs
	   [I'm not so naive that I believe in porting Mac applications
	   to other machines, even the ST or Amiga.  Peter da Silva,
	   are you convinced by now?]
	c) automatic conversion programs for certain compiler pairs
	   [shouldn't be too difficult to automate 90 percent of the
	   work; if it can be done for Fortran -> C it should be doable
	   for C -> C]
	d) [this is working in a very different direction]
	   the definite compiler review showing that we should all use
	   brand X
-- 
	Guido van Rossum, CWI, Amsterdam (guido@mcvax.UUCP)