Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!hpcllla!hpcllld!hcmutt
From: hcmutt@hpcllld.HP.COM (Harry Muttart)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: M2S Modula-2
Message-ID: <6790020@hpcllld.HP.COM>
Date: 28 Apr 89 15:56:38 GMT
References: <17734@cisunx.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard Calif. Language Lab
Lines: 72

I want to share a response to the note that I posted...  Sounds like real users
are extremely happy the this product.  Hope that this reachs prospective
customers soon enough.

  Harry Muttart

-------------------------- copied from EMAIL ---------------------------------

In article <6790019@hpcllld.HP.COM> you write:
>   SOURCE LEVEL DEBUGGER...WOW! (pant, pant)... WAIT A DURN MINIT!!!  
>   POSTMORTEM!!!?  (If you have used the earlier TDI postmortem debugger, you 
>   might not expect a lot either).
>
>   The editor appears to be yet another different editor to live with... not
>   even based upon a commonly used PD Amiga editor (but could be wrong)...
>
>   I am not sure that I trust TDI to actually support me if I am silly enough 
>   to send them my money again...they were not responsive...
>

	Well, yes, it isn't a single-step debugger but it is a source-level 
debugger in that it displays data according to the symbol information,
the procedure chain along with source code, etc.  Sorry, one of my pet peaves
since people say source-level debugger when they mean single-step, source-level
debugger.  Anyway,

	There is a major difference between the TDI product and the M2S
product in that the M2S system actually works!  The editor is non-standard
(which is a strike in my opinion since I use EMACS and/or VI 6-8 hours a 
day) but is extremely nice.  I am quickly spoiled by features such as the
auto case correction, quick scrolling/selecting, and hot keys (hum, time to 
look at a file - I could start MORE or type Ctrl-Alt-Y then the filename).
However, this is based on opinion - I'll use any editor that provides the 
power and speed that I need.

	As an example of the solid nature of the product I'll mention how I
use the post-mortem debugger.  A requester asking whether or not I want to 
load the debugger pops up when there is an error or the program executes the
command HALT.  If you want to abort the program instead of loading the 
debugger it will execute all Termination code (ala M2Amiga or the Amazing
Computing article a while back) to return resources to the system.  After
using the post-mortem debugger when it was started by the HALT command a 
requester pops up asking whether you want to continue.  I use this to do
snapshot debugging of buggy code.  I've continued execution after 
starting the debugger atleast 15-20 times.

	Anyway, you also talked about support.  M2S has been released a
month and there has also been a release of improved library modules 
(some bug fixes, an improved debugger (mainly displaying data better), and
some new library routines).  A new release should be sent (which is free
I believe) in late May which includes atleast a 10-20% faster compiler.
The source-level debugger, AmigaDOS compatable object, and optimizing 
linker are being worked on, with a target date of 6 months.

	I intended this to provide my views on the system as well as some 
information as to the future directions of M2Sprint, and did not intend this
to be hard-sale.  The reason that I said so much about it is that the 
special intro offer expires soon (I don't remember when) and I wanted you to
hear the flip side before it expired.  If you have any questions about the
system I'll answer them honestly (my being Beta tester only means that I 
get to make sure that my machine will run the next version, and that I 
get to complain to authors).

	Have a good morning,
	- David


-- 
 David King - 	FROM Disclaimers IMPORT Standard;
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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