Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watdcsu.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watdcsu!herbie From: herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong [DCS]) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: Re: Runtime trapping of program bugs Message-ID: <818@watdcsu.UUCP> Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 21:53:49 EST Article-I.D.: watdcsu.818 Posted: Fri Jan 11 21:53:49 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jan-85 07:47:58 EST References: <5143@rochester.UUCP> <19@decvax.UUCP> <481@ecsvax.UUCP> Reply-To: herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong [DCS]) Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 36 Summary: In article <481@ecsvax.UUCP> emigh@ecsvax.UUCP (Ted Emigh) writes: > >The current WATFIV compiler for the IBM 360 compatible computers >still initializes all variables to an invalid floating point constant >(creates bad memory parity if *MY* memory serves me right). Nice >feature for debugging FORTRAN programs. >-- > >Ted H. Emigh Genetics and Statistics, North Carolina State U, Raleigh NC >USENET: {akgua decvax duke ihnp4 unc}!mcnc!ecsvax!emigh >ARPA: decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!emigh@BERKELEY Quoted from the latest WATFIV-S manual (for version 1980 V2L1): "When a WATFIV program is compiled, any variable which is not assigned an initial value has a bit pattern of '10000000' put in each byte of memory reserved for the value of that variable. ... The pattern represents an INTEGER value of -2139062144 and a REAL value of -0.4335017E-77." What you say may have been true for WATFOR on older IBM machines, but for the 360/370 series of machines, this definition has stood for as long as WATFIV has been in existence. Herb Chong, BASc Computer Consultant I'm user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble.... UUCP: {decvax|utzoo|ihnp4|allegra|clyde}!watmath!water!watdcsu!herbie CSNET: herbie%watdcsu@waterloo.csnet ARPA: herbie%watdcsu%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa NETNORTH, BITNET: herbie@watdcs, herbie@watdcsu POST: Department of Computing Services University of Waterloo N2L 3G1 (519)885-1211 x3524