Xref: utzoo comp.lang.misc:2681 comp.lang.modula2:1288
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!decvax!tektronix!percival!qiclab!m2xenix!randy
From: randy@m2xenix.UUCP (Randy Bush)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Re: Modula-2 Cast Syntax (was Re: What is B&D? (...))
Keywords: cast,conversion
Message-ID: <200@m2xenix.UUCP>
Date: 14 Feb 89 05:45:20 GMT
References: <186@m2xenix.UUCP> <2493@garth.UUCP> <196@m2xenix.UUCP> <2526@garth.UUCP>
Reply-To: randy@m2xenix.UUCP (Randy Bush)
Organization: Oregon Software, Portland Oregon US
Lines: 25

In article <2526@garth.UUCP> phipps@garth.UUCP (Clay Phipps) writes:
>According to the "Report On The Programming Language Modula-2" 
>(in Wirth: _Programming In Modula-2_, 1st ed., 1982),
>the "VAL" standard procedure is applicable only to values of ordinal types,
>excluding reals and strings, and, thereby, falling short of what I expected.  

In the current (internal) draft of the standard, VAL will convert to and from
REAL and LONGREAL.

>Have string conversion standard procedures been added ?

Current draft proposals do not add to the language (i.e. standard procedures)
to convert string literals or arrays of char to or from numerics, but do
specify library procedures to these ends.

>What the heck, you're stuck with the earlier decisions.

We are trying to take seriously the mandate to standardize existing practice.
There exists a fair body of code out there.  I know of applications over
2*10^6 lines of code.  Modulans are quiet but prolific.

And, BTW, yes I do consider San Jose a strange town. :-)

-- 
{ mcvax!uunet!oresoft, tektronix!percival!qiclab } !m2xenix!randy  Randy Bush