Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!kth!draken!tut!tucos!sutela
From: sutela@tucos.UUCP (Kari Sutela)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: An ARexx bug ?
Summary: try "say -0"
Keywords: mathieedoubbas.library, ARexx
Message-ID: <895@tucos.UUCP>
Date: 16 May 89 11:23:36 GMT
Reply-To: sutela@tucos.cs.utu.fi
Organization: University of Turku, Finland
Lines: 22

I noticed this bug when I tested the graph.rexx program which was distributed
with rexxarplib v2.2. I noticed that the program would freeze at a statement
which was something like this: "somevar = -x**2". Immediately when x becomes
zero, the program will freeze. BTW, I don't remember whether this bug occurred
in graph.rexx or testgraphs.rexx.

Anyway, I researched a bit more and found that this one-liner will also 
cause the problem (even after remlib()'ing rexxarplib and rexxmathlib):

/* bug.rexx */
say -0

The program never stops and system performance will decrease dramatically.
I started XOper and noticed that rexx was eating about 40% of CPU-cycles.

Has anybody else noticed this bug? I reinstalled rexx and 1.3 mathieedoubbas.
library straight from the distribution disks, but this didn't cure it, so
I guess there indeed is a bug in rexxsyslib.library - is there a patch to
cure this? I guess mathieedoubbas.library can't be guilty (haven't checked,
yet)?

- Kari Sutela 
- sutela@tucos.cs.utu.fi OR lk-kari@fintuvm.utu.fi OR lk-kari@fintuvm.BITNET