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From: sjl@myrias.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Latest Version of Modula-2
Message-ID: <496@myrias.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Mar-87 17:12:38 EST
Article-I.D.: myrias.496
Posted: Fri Mar 20 17:12:38 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Mar-87 19:48:50 EST
References: <3802@sdcc3.ucsd.EDU>
Sender: daemon@myrias.UUCP
Organization: Myrias Research, Edmonton
Lines: 62
Keywords: bug bugs BUG BUGS BUGGY insect

I received my new copy (version 3.00a) of TDI Modula-2 last week, more than
9 weeks after mailing in my upgrade card (they were very late getting their
distribution ready to ship). I have not used it for much yet - just a few
short test programs. So far, I have had the following problems:

   - Although I was billed $10.00 for a manual, there is no manual in the
     package. The only documentation is about a dozen pages of notes. The
     notes refer to the existance of a manual, but do not explain its
     non-presence. The dealer that I originally bought the compiler from
     (Software House in Edmonton) has called TDI for me, and been told
     that the manual should have been (but wasn't) marked as "back ordered"
     on the invoice. It should be shipped in about two weeks.

   - One of the .sym files on the distribution disk is unreadable
     (EasyGadgets.sym).

   - The editor window cannot be made to fill more than about 60% of the
     screen. It seems to be set up for full screen non-interlaced on a PAL
     Amiga.

   - The compiler flags tabs in the source text as illegal characters. This
     is a major bummer, since the version of uEMACS I use inserts tabs when
     you do a newline-and-indent.

   - Their editor does not always seem to find the error file. On several
     occasions I have gone into their editor after having the compiler write
     an error file, and the editor reports no errors.

   - There is no facility for converting an error file (containing a bunch
     of integers in ascii) into error messages except by using their editor.

   - Their editor is also nothing to get excited about. It is very basic.
     No multi-buffering, no programmable functions.

   - I have a test program that hangs when it does a RETURN from the main
     module body. I am still tracking this down. The debugger is no help
     at all for this, since it only allows you to look at a dead program
     that died with a run-time error.

I also have some complaints about the way their commands work, but for the
most part these are not new to this version.

On the bright side, the compiler is both smaller and faster than it used
to be. It also appears to run under 1.2 without dying or stopping the
clock, although my testing so far has been sketchy.

Overall, I am cautiously hopeful about TDI Modula-2. This release is
clearly a loser, but the package does show quite a bit of promise. If
TDI were on the net, I would suggest that they stop adding new features
to their package and put some serious effort into quality assurance and
user interface improvements. In the mean time, I would recommend this
compiler only to people who desperately want a Modula-2 compiler on their
Amiga.


The views expressed herein are my own and not necessarily those of my
employer.

Stuart Lomas
Myrias Research Corporation
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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