Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: $Revision: 1.6.2.16 $; site inmet.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!cca!inmet!bhyde From: bhyde@inmet.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.mac Subject: Re: Megamax 2.1 "in the mail" Message-ID: <26700028@inmet.UUCP> Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 11:12:00 EDT Article-I.D.: inmet.26700028 Posted: Thu Aug 22 11:12:00 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 12:03:34 EDT References: <1041@sdcsvax.UUCP> Lines: 43 Nf-ID: #R:sdcsvax:-104100:inmet:26700028:000:2233 Nf-From: inmet!bhyde Aug 22 11:12:00 1985 About the Megamax C compiler's new release. I have recieved both my 2.1 update, and my 2.1 update to the update. The initial 2.1 update was a terrible mistake, I gather they didn't ship too many copies before they discovered this. In my case the problem was compounded by recieving it the same day as my Mac. came back from service will a new (and bad) disk drive installed. So the two events conspired to waste about 40hours of my time. The sadest part is that while I was very happy with Megamax up until then I'm not very nervous. The new release is wonderful. I run a one drive 128K Mac. I build real programs with it. The linker is much faster, but you might not notice since the linker is still the slowest step and takes long enough for you to decide to stand up and stretch, and that's too long for my weak short term memory to remember what I was doing. The best thing about the new release is the editor. It is fast, it is coupled in very nicely with the compiler. The typical compile/edit loop is automatic, so you edit, hit compile, and (i'd guess) 20sec. latter the source and error listing reopen upon your screen. There is now a very powerful batch script facility. I haven't used it yet but the examples are impressive. Wild cards, for example "foreach file ( *.c ) ..." batch also supports dialog query during the execution. This, coupled with editor and minifinder, might allow you to banish the finder forever from software development. I have used the compiler to build menu def proc's, picture editors, controls, filters that wrap around standard control def procs, and to write a simple editor that's based entirely on the dialog handler. The C runtime model isn't very compatable with pascal/Mac's runtime model. The compiler provides a very easy way to allow the creation of routines who's call sites will be pascal like, but it doesn't let you call those from C. So you can write a replacement for StdRect, but you can't call StdRect without dropping into assembler. It has bugs, but they aren't many. The new release is much more carefule about the issues around boolean values ( which are a mess). I like it, I recomend it, I've never tried any alternatives. ben hyde, cambridge.