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From: samlb@well.UUCP (Samuel B. Bassett)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Re: Number of elements in a set
Message-ID: <3949@well.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Sep-87 19:04:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: well.3949
Posted: Mon Sep 14 19:04:57 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 16-Sep-87 06:23:24 EDT
References: <8709140824.AA21380@cayuga.cs.rochester.edu>
Reply-To: samlb@well.UUCP (Samuel B. Bassett)
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 23


	At present, _All_ (or almost all) Modula-2 compilers have _only_
16-element bitsets, because that is how Der Verehrter Herr Doktor Professor
wanted it, and enshrined it in the language definition.
	(Whenever he is challenged about one of the many inadequacies of the
language, he replies that given the point he wanted to prove and the resources
he has {slaves... errr, graduate students} at ETH, some choices had to be
made, and, besides, that is a mere matter of implementation which can be easily
handled in a separate module.)
	The latter is certainly true -- there are at least two commercially-
available 'longset' modules that I have seen, which overcome the 16-element
set problem -- both are for Logitech's MS-DOS Modula, but do have source
available, so should port directly to most other machines . . .

	The British Standards Institute Modula-2 Standardisation effort is
working on changing the language definition to open up sets to at least
include enough memebers to define SET OF CHAR.  Progress is being made at a
glacial pace on this . . .
-- 
Sam'l Bassett, Writer/Editor/Consultant -- ideas & opinions mine!
34 Oakland Ave., San Anselmo  CA  94960;  (415) 454-7282
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