Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!oliveb!sun!pepper!cmcmanis
From: cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Novice Question..
Message-ID: <60661@sun.uucp>
Date: 20 Jul 88 18:16:47 GMT
References: <818@cunixc.columbia.edu> <60482@sun.uucp> <2343@antique.UUCP>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 46

In article <60482@sun.uucp> I wrote :
->This is something to consider folks when considering a C compiler. MOST
->of the ROM KERNEL MANUAL and INTUITION MANUAL examples will not work with
->the MANX compiler. They *assume* 32 bit integers and MANX defaults to using
->16 bit integers.

In article <2343@antique.UUCP> vax135!cjp (Charles Poirier) commented:
->Unfair!  "Will not work" is a harsh way to put it, when ALL you have to
->do to defeat Manx's 16-bit integer default is to compile with the "+L"
->option.

Hmmm, in an attempt to avoid religious battles, allow me to enumerate the
most common problems that new programmers to the Amiga encounter. (in
order of most commonness)  :
	# 1 : The library base variables are declared incorrectly, either
		in spelling, or with improper case.
	# 2 : The MANX C compiler is used without the +L option.
	# 3 : The order of the libraries is reversed when linking Lattice
		objects (Amiga.lib+LC.lib versus lc.lib+amiga.lib)
	# 4 : Something that needs to be in CHIP ram isn't there.
	# 5 : The stack is set to low when the program is run.

These are generally discovered by people who have programmed before eventually
but they are sometimes insurmountable problems to complete novices.
	
Then Charles Continues ...
-> That's nice as far as it goes.  But you've left out one BIG advantage
-> for Manx: the availability (for extra $ of course) of SDB (source-level
-> debugger).  SDB is great for saving the butts of novice and pro alike.
-> Unless I've been asleep, Lattice doesn't have an SDB yet, and if you
-> believe it's coming "real soon now", well, it's your time and money.

I was trying to point out a specific instance where the two compilers 
differ and how one might go about evaluating them for oneself based on 
this information. SDB is a very nice debugger and can in itself be
the justification to *some* people in deciding on one compiler or another.
Other people put more emphasis on different things. [I can imagine that an
Ex-PASCAL programmer might appreciate the type checking more, for instance]
In either event, Lattice claims they will be showing their debugger at 
AmiExpo in Chicago. If anyone sees it, I for one would like a full report
on it, preferably in comparison to SDB and CodeView (dbxtool too if you
know what that is). 

--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: cmcmanis  ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.