Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!arizona!malibo
From: malibo@arizona.edu (Rob McConeghy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Choosing an Amiga C Compiler
Summary: stop talking about old versions
Message-ID: <3558@megaron.arizona.edu>
Date: 24 Jan 88 23:32:23 GMT
References: <945@aluxp.UUCP> <3168@cbmvax.UUCP> <4414@garfield.UUCP> <4431@garfield.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 48

In article <4431@garfield.UUCP>, john13@garfield.UUCP (John Russell) writes:
> In article <39596@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes:
> >
> >The Lattice compiler
> >complains more often about bad code, [ than Manx ]
> 
> Like I said, it's been a few versions since I gave up on Lattice. My only
> memory of their error checking was looking in the manual to see what
> "ERROR 105" or somesuch was, and then finding that although it was something
> like "bad argument to function", the cause was a split at the 80th column 100
> lines back in the code.

FLAME ON -

When people ask advice about which compiler to buy, they want to
hear from folks who have experience with the current versions.
They DONT want to hear about your opinions about, or experiences
with, two year old, twice updated versions.
They also don't want to hear any second-hand hearsay thoughts about
features you may think are, or are not, in a compiler you haven't used.

If somebody asks you what car they should buy, you don't tell them
that you heard that Model-T Fords only come in black.

If you don't have Lattice 4.0. I, for one, don't want to hear anything
you have to say about Lattice. And the same goes for Manx. 
And if you haven't personally used both current versions, I am not 
interested in reading your opinions about how they may compare.

FLAME OFF.

I have Lattice 4.0. I am happy with it. I have used it successfully
to port several fairly large Unix and generic programs without any
problems. It has a nice manual with lots of Unix/ANSI/etc standard
functions. It does lots of error checking but you can turn off
lots of the warning types like those cause by missing VOID's etc., if
you don't like to see them. I was also happy with Lattice 3.10.
I always upgrade my compilers to the current versions and I also keep
tabs on the Lattice BBS in case any interim bug-notices or bug-patches
become available. I recommend both these practices to anyone who is
using any piece of software on a regular basis for serious work.

I was rather amused by a recent posting that mentionned that the
error checking in Lattice was so good that it helped them get their
programs to pass Lint. I was always under the impression that Lint
was supposed to be used before you give your program to the compiler.

I have never had any problem with Lattice accepting multi-line macros.