Path: utzoo!dptcdc!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!gatech!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!sbcs!bnlux0!drs
From: drs@bnlux0.bnl.gov (David R. Stampf)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.encore
Subject: Re: TeX
Message-ID: <1102@bnlux0.bnl.gov>
Date: 17 Apr 89 22:20:52 GMT
References: <1101@bnlux0.bnl.gov> <2561@buengc.BU.EDU>
Reply-To: drs@bnlux0.UUCP (David R. Stampf)
Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, N.Y.
Lines: 41

In article <2561@buengc.BU.EDU> art@buengc.bu.edu (A. R. Thompson) writes:
>In article <1101@bnlux0.bnl.gov> como@bnl-max (Andrew T. Como) writes:
>>
>>	Is there anyone out there that has a version of TeX that
>>is running the the Encore Umax 4.2 (rev 3.2).
>>
>>	I have a version written is Pascal but unfortunately
>>the Encore compiler is terribly deficient.
>>
>>	Appreciate any help from you multimax administrators.
>
>It's not the Encore Pascal that's deficient, it's the Berkeley Pascal that
>is terribly deficient.  Namely it passes file variables as value
>parameters which is a no no.  The C versions of TeX work just fine.  You
>should get them and everything should be peachy.  If you have a problem
>please contact us and we will give you a hand.
>

	If I'm not mistaken, TeX compiles just fine on a VAX running BSD, and
it doesn't on a max.  If that makes the BSD version deficient ...

	Actually, I'm on the side that TeX leaves something to be desired in
that it assumes that a compiler has an otherwise clause on case statements,
which is not part of *vanilla* pascal and has been extended in many different
ways, very few of which are even close to being compatable.

>You should be very careful before you run around calling somebody's
>procuct deficient  when you don't know what you're talking about.  You owe
>Encore and Oregon Software and apology.

	If he apologizes, will you help him compile it, or will it all just
be whistling in the wind?  He did ask for help I believe.  In fact, the people
from Encore (sales people, but people all the same) admitted that the Pascal
compiler would not compile TeX, without *lots* of hand massaging, and offered
to help find a source for TeX.  It didn't help much since there are some
local mods, that relied upon a virgin source.

	So, something ain't right and *help* would be appreciated.  Maybe from
someone who knows what they are talking about... 

	< dave