Message-ID: <856@uw-beaver>
Date: Thu, 14-Feb-85 04:41:05 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.856
Posted: Thu Feb 14 04:41:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Feb-85 04:42:45 EST
Sender: daemon@uw-beaver
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 290

From: John Mark Agosta 

INFO-MAC DIGEST                                  14 FEB 1985

Today's Topics:
                            XLISP 1.4 source
                          Rascal (from Usenet)
                           SUMACC for System V
                            Bitmap resources?
                            Graf3D in SUMacC?
                           MacModula-2 Review
                         MacForth price plummets
                          Re:  Mac Reliability
          can a 74S253 multiplexer be used in fattening of Mac?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 14 Feb 85 00:44:12 EST
From: winkler@harvard.ARPA (Dan Winkler)
Subject: XLISP 1.4 source


The XLISP source has been uploaded to the Harvard Vax.  This is the 
first time in a while that David has had XLISP an a machine he can run
lint on and he wants to take care of a few complaints that lint has.  
As soon as that's done (in a day or two), he or I will send the source
to info-mac (if you want it) [very much -jma] and to net.sources.  
It's about 150K now.  We'll probably also archive it on Harvard so you
can get it with anonymous ftp login and so David can keep it current.

If you feel you absolutely, positively have to have the source before 
David can fix it up, send me mail and I'll make arrangements for you
to get it either by ftp or mail.

Dan. (winkler@harvard)

------------------------------

From: Elgin Lee 
Date: 12 Feb 1985 2322-PST (Tuesday)
Subject: Rascal (from Usenet)

I thought INFO-MAC members might be interested in the following
message.

                Elgin

- ------- Forwarded Message

Relay-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site Navajo.ARPA 
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site reed.UUCP Path:
Navajo!Glacier!decwrl!decvax!tektronix!reed!maclab From:
maclab@reed.UUCP (Mac Lab Login) Newsgroups: net.micro.mac Subject:
Rascal -- New Compiled Language for the Mac Message-ID:
<917@reed.UUCP> Date: 11 Feb 85 18:14:31 GMT Date-Received: 13 Feb 85
01:39:34 GMT Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon Lines: 68


11 February 1985

From: Scott Gillespie, Reed College MacLab

Here in the MacLab (as you may have read in an earlier article
"Millisecond Timing/ Serial Technology") our primary research goal is
to create a sophisticated laboratory environment using the Macintosh
as the central control/display device for networks of single-board
microcomputers -- multiple windows on the Mac screen take the place of
multiple displays on individual laboratory instruments, and flexible
8031-based microcontrollers take the place of the standard instruments
found in the lab (oscilloscopes, frequency counters, function
generators, etc.).  We call these systems 'BenchTop Laboratory 
Environments.'

On the road to this goal, we have designed and written a new language
for the Macintosh:  Rascal (real-time Pascal).  The purpose of Rascal
and a brief description of the language follow:

In order to draw fast pictures on the Mac, and provide for high speed
serial data processing, we needed a language that would compile to
68000 mac code, and support the multi-tasking environment which is to
be the foundation of BenchTop systems.  We needed built in serial
routines, built in fast-graphics routines and we wanted a development
system which resided on disk as a single application.  In addition to
technical considerations, we could not put up with the infinite
problems of licensing fees for applications, required by many
commerical companies: and we would not wish such annoyances upon 
anyone else.  We looked at most of the products available, and decided
that we would only be satisfied with something produced here at Reed,
designed
 specifically for serial/fast-graphics/multi-tasking

Rascal is a single application, containing an editor, compiler,
linker, and executor (a tiny supervisor-like package is required to
run the code, due to Rascal's multi-tasking design).  We can now sit
down at the Mac, write programs (very much like Pascal), compile, link
and test them without ever switching applications.  The code produced
is extremely fast (it had better be, it's compiled), toolbox routines
are supported, and any executable Rascal object may be turned into a
stand-alone application.

Alpha Testing:

Rascal is probably 4-5 months from completion (total cosmetic and
documented form) and heavy testing is under way right now.  We are
forming an Alpha test group for Rascal.  If you are interested in
participating, please mail me a message to that effect, and include
your telephone#.  We are looking for people who really want to help us
on this, and will expect a lot of feedback on the software
(documentation on Rascal is very minimal at this point, so it's a real
adventure).  We may not be able to include everyone in the Alpha test
group, but I hope this won't be the case.  Also, I am open to
suggestions regarding the mechanics of alpha testing (method,
distribution and frequency of updates, new documentation, etc.).  We
will solidify plans for the Alpha group in about 2-3 weeks: I will try
to get back to everyone who responds to this article by that time.

Thanks in advance for your advice, and interest.

  -- Scott


Scott Gillespie, MacLab Coordinator Physics Department Reed College 
Portland, OR 97202 (503) 771-1112 x277 USEnet:
...!decvax!tektronix!reed!maclab Apple E-mail:  supt.uc20t


- ------- End of Forwarded Message

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 13 Feb 85 13:54:46 pst
From: Bill Croft 
Subject: SUMACC for System V

John Chmielewski of the Computer Systems Division, ATT Technologies, 
is distributing the SUMACC UNIX / Mac C cross development environment 
for the ATT System V machines: VAX, 3B20 and 3B2.

You can contact him at:
        John Chmielewski
        ATT Technologies
        4513 West Ave.
        Lisle, IL 60532
        312 810 6182
        ihnp4!cuuxa!jlc
        jlc@ardc

------------------------------

Date: Wednesday, 13 February 1985 21:30:15 EST
From: Peter.Monta@cmu-cs-g.arpa
Subject: Bitmap resources?

I have a few bitmap pictures that I'd like to include in a SUMacC
program.  What is the most graceful way to accomplish this?  My
thought is to convert the pictures to hex, store them as a HEXA
resource using rmaker, and ``manually'' construct a bitmap record when
the program is launched.  Is there a better way?  Is this way feasible
(I suppose the bits would have to be nonrelocatable)?  In particular,
I'd like to know about PICT resources and whether they can be used for
this purpose.

Peter Monta

------------------------------

Date: Wednesday, 13 February 1985 21:35:41 EST
From: Peter.Monta@cmu-cs-g.arpa
Subject: Graf3D in SUMacC?

Is there some way the Graf3D facility can be used from SUMacC?  I
notice an example program in Inside Macintosh called ``boxes.text''
that refers to this unit.

Peter Monta

------------------------------

Date: 13 Feb 1985 09:51:46-EST
From: jkm@Mitre-Bedford
Subject: MacModula-2 Review

     I received the released version of MacModula-2 from Modula Corp.
The system compiles Modula 2 source code into "M-code", which is run
by invoking a 21K interpreter.  The compiler is not particularly fast;
it takes over 4 minutes to compile a seven page program, perhaps
because the compiler itself is in M-code.  The system is pleasant to
use, and provides access to almost all of the Mac Toolbox and
Quickdraw routines.

     There are two disks, containing the compiler, linker, two
versions of the interpreter (a smaller one is used to interpret the
compiler and linker), some demo programs, and various library modules.
They also provide Apple's Edit program and RMaker, a convenient tool
for creating resources such as menus and windows that can be linked
into your program.  The disks are unprotected.

     The documentation is very well written, helpful, and complete.
It is 550 pages long and bound like a telephone book, perhaps to
discourage illegal distribution.

     Access to Toolbox routines is somewhat less convenient on a 128K
Mac because each routine requires a one-line procedure to invoke it,
which must be copied into your program.  On a 512K Mac, these
procedures may be imported from library modules.  This can't be done
on a thin Mac because of memory limitations during compilation.
Modula Corp. suggests that 128K Mac users create their own library
modules from which a limited number of such routines can be imported.

     I have run into only one problem: after a Modula-2 program quits
and tries to return to the finder, a system error occurs. It is
possible that the problem has to do with my system and/or finder,
since those are not provided on the Modula disks; but the problem did
not happen with the Beta test version, which I also got. I mailed off
the bug report to Modula Corp.  yesterday.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 13 Feb 85 08:51:53 pst
From: upstill%ucbdegas@Berkeley (Steve Upstill)
Subject: MacForth price plummets

   ...well, at least for Level 3 (for commercial developers).  Was
$2499, now:

    From: Mark Zimmerman 
    To: info-macforth@harvard.ARPA

    I just got the newsletter from CSI ... mailed bulk rate from
Rockville, MD,
    so people farther away than I should get it within the next week
or so ...
    Highlights:  level 2 update "is on the way" ... better manual, and
a Version
    2.1;

    **************************************************************************

    Level 3 is down to $499 (or $250 if you've already got Level 2,
$350
    if you've got Level 1) ... no further royalties due,
    ***************************************************************************


    includes "Developer's Kit", support on CompuServe (not Hotline any
more);
    many misc. tidbits, incl.  a way to display a MacPaint picture
from FORTH,
    etc.
      - z

Gee, I wondered if they could have encountered some resistance on the
part of developers to paying THEM $10 per copy of Forth programs.:-)

Steve Upstill

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 13 Feb 85 09:21:09 pst
From: Dave Thompson 
Subject: Re:  Mac Reliability

I checked with our EE's and was told that the $12.95 solid state
single outlet surge protector is just as good as the $100+ ones.
Since I already have a multiple outlet box, all I need is to plug that
into the surge surpressor which is plugged into the wall.  It is
PSP-518 from Universal micro in Hackensack, NJ.  Call their toll free
number -- 800-631-0867.  They do tack on a handling charge of $3 plus,
and UP charges on top of that.  But still, it looked to me like a
worth while investment in a measure of peace of mind, so I ordered it.
As yet, I haven't received it, so I can't comment on it's value.

                                           Dave Thompson
                                           thompson@llnl-crg

------------------------------

Date: Thu 14 Feb 85 00:58:25-CST
From: Werner Uhrig  
Subject: can a 74S253 multiplexer be used in fattening of Mac?

after not being able to locate an AS or F series chip, I'm considering
an S chip I already have to avoid the hassle trying to find one
mail-order.  all local hardware wizards I talked to thought it should
be ok.  does anyone disagree?

------------------------------

End of 13-Feb-85 21:44:35-PST,966;000000000001 Digest
*****************************************************
-------