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From: oyster@uwmacc.UUCP (Vicious Oyster)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16
Subject: Program Development on the ST
Message-ID: <2018@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Mar-86 13:29:18 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.2018
Posted: Wed Mar  5 13:29:18 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Mar-86 07:56:10 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center
Lines: 42

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MUSHROOMS ***

  Well, I don't (yet!) have my ST, but I want to be able to plug it in and
start programming immediately (1/2 :-), so I'm going to be ordering software
soon.  Here's a very short summary of what I've seen here so far on the 
subject of languages:

TDI Modula-2: Exciting, but has a bizarre object file format

OSS Personal Pascal: Great! Impressive! Nifty!

DRI C: Slow and lacking

Megamax C: It exists

Lattice C: Real Soon Now

  Is that all anybody knows about?!  I'd rather program in C than Pascal, but
so far I'm leaning toward the TDI Modula-2 compiler.  Is there any other C
out there?  What about assemblers?
  Since the language and compiler themselves make up only a part of a
development system, I'm also very interested in the less heralded things,
like editor (if there is one), edit-compile-link cycle (speed, ease,...),
documentation, library routines, etc.  (The OSS Pascal and TDI Modula-2
reviews have been really good about that; thanks, to those of you who've
posted).  Any information would be appreciated (post things of general
interest; send obnoxious comments and flames by E-mail).

My personal view of the developer's kit:
It may have been the only game in town at one point, but that's not true 
anymore.  From the reports on the compiler and documentation, it's not
worth the $300 price.  Are there any plans to either reduce the price, 
tidy it up, or unbundle the components?  Also, both myself and another
couple of people I've talked to see an attitude on the part of Atari
of "if you didn't pay us $300 to be conferred the title of Developer
we won't play with you."  Is this a warped perception?  [This one 
should probably be answered by E-mail!]

 - Joel Plutchak
   {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!oyster

Can you say "opinion"?  I *knew* you could!