Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!mimsy!chris
From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: TeX on SV
Message-ID: <8011@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Aug-87 00:51:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimsy.8011
Posted: Tue Aug 18 00:51:49 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Aug-87 04:31:26 EDT
References: <18415UH2@PSUVM>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 17

In article <18415UH2@PSUVM> UH2@PSUVM.BITNET (Lee Sailer) writes, in part:
>CTeX passes the TeX torture test, which basically means you can't
>find a better, more powerful version.

With this statement I will argue.  TeX is written in large part to
compile on lowest-common-denominator Pascal; about the only things
it demands of its compiler is a default case entry and a great deal
of compile space and time.  It does all of its allocation from a
fixed array that cannot be larger than 65536 4 byte words, or 262144
bytes.  This is, to put it simply, not enough; indeed, no fixed
limit is ever enough.

On the other hand, passing the TeX torture test means it is likely
to be close to bug-free.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	seismo!mimsy!chris