Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!columbia!rutgers!ll-xn!adelie!axiom!linus!philabs!mcnc!unc!hinrichs From: hinrichs@unc.UUCP (Klaus Hinrichs) Newsgroups: net.lang.mod2 Subject: Re: Significant Changes to M2 Message-ID: <163@unc.unc.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Nov-86 16:06:39 EST Article-I.D.: unc.163 Posted: Tue Nov 4 16:06:39 1986 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Nov-86 00:59:34 EST References: <8610201143.1439@ur-cayuga.arpa> Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill Lines: 57 The following proposals we find acceptable, though we don't have a strong opinion of most of them: WG104, WG007, WG086, WG012, WG099, WG132, WG089, WG041, WG074, WG080, WG050, WG051, WG056, WG003, WG061, WG114, WG115, WG116, WG120, WG102, WG121, WG122, WG109, WG110. The following proposals we explicitly welcome: WG088, WG126, WG015, WG131, WG034, WG075, WG117, WG069. The following proposals we find problematic or of dubious value: WG106, case (ii): We believe that this would be too big a change. Like it or not, Modula-2 is a spartan language, equipped only with minimum features. A UCSD-Pascal-like string type would be contrary to the general philosophy of the language. Proposal WG106, case (i) we agree with. A shorter name should be found for StringTerminator. EOS, end of string, is one possibility. WG035: What are "the constants N and W"? WG073: What's the use of returning pointers, when they cannot be de- referenced? If there is no way they can be used, returning them should not be allowed. the same holds for PROCEDURES, RECORDs and ARRAYs. WG113: Does that mean, the language should not allow one-pass compilation? Whether or not one-pass compilers are a good idea is probably a matter of taste, fact is that they will need the FORWARD construct. Excluding this from the language means, however, that it is impossible to keep certain programs portable. The standard should enhance portability of Modula-2 programs, not prevent it! WG118: Why should MIN and MAX not work for REALs? What is the "other mechanism to deliver the various characteristics of the type REAL"? WG119: SIZE should accept type parameters as well as variable parameters. There should be no TSIZE. WG085: The NEW and DISPOSE procedures do have the undesirable effect of producing side effects. However, they have one great advantage: they are safe. It is a bad idea to make the user responsible for something, the compiler can (and should) do. WG084: We prefer to have both possibilities. If an export list is given only the identifiers listed in the export list are exported. If the export list is omitted all identifiers defined in the definition module are automatically exported. WG110: We support these proposals. However we would like to point out the necessity of exporting constants of opaque types, at least a null value (e.g. "CONST Null = OpaqueType (NIL);") should be exportable. Ed Biagioni Gernot Heiser Klaus Hinrichs Peter Schorn seismo!mcnc!unc!biagioni biagioni@cs.unc.edu mcvax!cernvax!ethz!gridfile seismo!mcnc!unc!hinrichs hinrichs@cs.unc.edu seismo!mcnc!unc!schorn schorn@cs.unc.edu