Addtask in TDI
3 messages in this thread
Michael,
As long as you realize that the manual shipped with a compiler is not meant
to be a reference manual for the language itself, I'd agree with you that the
compiler should be adequately explained. The language itself is best left to
a book devoted to that. I just realized after reading your message that it
would be A Good Thing to have a proper M2 reference manual.
Regards, Larry.
Larry,
Hmm! I'm used to the compiler manufacturer making such a manual available.
I'm also used to them charging for it. So I PAID for a manual, that was
supposed to be a reference manual! It wasn't, isn't and cannot be! THIS is
the source of my ire. The first manual I was willing to excuse because it
came with the compiler. The second was certainly nescessary considering the
changes in the compiler, but I should not have been expected to pay for it in
addition to the upgrad to the compiler!
You know, I didn't start this thread to bash TDI again. I really basically
like the compiler. But somebody told me that the documentation was adequate;
that set me off. Then it was implied that I expected a tutorial manual from
the manufacturer. I already have one of those. It's useless (well, it is now.
It wasn't when I bought it). Yes, it would be a Wonderful Thing to have a
good reference manual for Modula-2.
MCR – San Jose, CA
Your point is well taken. Since I've never seen the docs for the Amiga C
compilers, Manx and Lattice, I can't make much of a comment about how those
folks handled their manuals. From some comments I've heard around here those
manuals generally stuck to discussing their respective compilers. TDI should
have done a much better job documenting their compiler, and the SYSTEM
module, rather than just providing hardcopy of the .def files. The books that
will show you the light when it comes to programming the Amiga all use C , of
course. I've managed to learn a lot about C just trying to make it through
the examples. I even keep a C tutorial at my desk here all the time.
As to why TDI uses ADDRESSes sometimes and POINTERs other times really
depends on what your passing. They could use ADDRESS all of the time (just
like they could use WORD or LONGWORD for parameter passing) but that would
undermine the languges strict type checking.