Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!peregrine!elroy!ames!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!ncrlnk!ncrcce!mercer
From: mercer@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Dan Mercer)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Getchar w/wout echo
Summary: Clarification please?
Message-ID: <739@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM>
Date: 7 Sep 88 18:52:40 GMT
References: <371@marob.MASA.COM> <225800061@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu> <733@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM> <7070@cdis-1.uucp>
Reply-To: mercer@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Dan Mercer)
Organization: NCR Comten, Inc.
Lines: 42

:In article <733@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM>, mercer@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Dan Mercer) writes:
:> Portability doesn't mean I can write a program for my PC and
:> recompile it for my NCR Tower and expect it to run the same.
:
:I would beg to differ.  What portability means to us (who supply
:software for more than one machine) is exactly that: I can take a
:program written for a PC, re-compile it for the NCR Tower, and
:expect it to run the same.
:
:We actually go the other direction: write on big computer, build
:version for PC after it works on big computer.  We then sell both
:versions.  Other than the installation and back-up instructions,
:we ship the same manual, too.
:-- 
:...!bikini.cis.ufl.edu!ki4pv!cdis-1!tanner  ...!bpa!cdin-1!cdis-1!tanner
:or...  {allegra killer gatech!uflorida decvax!ucf-cs}!ki4pv!cdis-1!tanner

	One clarification on your claim - are you using the same
	operating system (UNIX(tm) - XENIX(tm)) throughout.  I
	should have clarified my statement by saying 'written
	for a PC running MS-DOS(tm), recompile it for the NCR Tower
	running UNIX(tm).'  Portability is somewhat guaranteed
	throughout the UNIX(tm) world,  that's its charm.  I
	say somewhat,  because it is possible to write non-portable
	'C' code (assuming byte sizes for pointers,  for instance,
	and not using casting when its called for).

	It is possible to write code that will port between MS-DOS(tm)
	and UNIX(tm),  but only by importing portability functions,
	like termcap and terminfo.

	To expect portability across different hardware and operating
	system architectures,  however,  just because you write in
	'C',  stretches the meaning of portability.  One shouldn't
	expect the programming language to usurp the role of an 
	operating system,  or expect the interface of the language
	to the operating system to be the same in all instances.

	And thats my objection to getchar w/wout echo.

	Dan Mercer
	NCR Comten