Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83 (MC840302); site ethz.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!mcvax!cernvax!ethz!prl From: prl@ethz.UUCP (Peter Lamb) Newsgroups: net.lang.mod2 Subject: Re: Any M2 developers out there? Message-ID: <233@ethz.UUCP> Date: Mon, 23-Sep-85 16:13:28 EDT Article-I.D.: ethz.233 Posted: Mon Sep 23 16:13:28 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 03:47:17 EDT References: <448@sdcc12.UUCP> <48100001@hpcnof.UUCP> Reply-To: prl@ethz.UUCP (Peter Lamb) Organization: CS Department, ETH Zuerich, Switzerland Lines: 59 Modula 2 was indeed developed at ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) by Prof. Wirth. I have established a mailing address for people who want to get into direct contact with the developers of this language. {siesmo|decvax}!mcvax!cernvax!ethz!modula2 I hope that this will be of some assistance to people with questions about the philosophy and definition of the language. I rely on the judgement of the net users not to swamp the person who has taken this task on. In response to the article from Kaare Christian regarding differences between the definition of M2 between Ford&Wiener & Wirth, I have the following from Wirth's group: > Re: New Modula-2 Features mentioned in Ford&Wiener > > Taking Wirth's newest Modula-2 compiler (written by himself) as a reference > I can give the following answers: > > 1) The unary minus is not allowed with sets. Use symmetric set difference > instead. Example: {}/{1, 2}. > > 2) The syntax for the new if and while statements is: > IfStatement = IF Expression THEN StatementSequence > {(ELSIF | "|") Expression THEN StatementSequence} > [ELSE StatementSequence] END. > WhileSatement = WHILE Expression DO StatementSequence > {"|" Expression DO StatementSequence} END. > I don't know whether these changes are only of experimental nature > or whether they will go into the language. > > 3) Structured function return values are allowed by the language but > may be restricted in some implementations. Our compiler allows > structured return values to the maximum size of 4 bytes. Be aware > that no further selectings of structured return values are allowed > by the Modula-2 syntax. Example: f(3)[7] is not allowed. > > 4) There's no change in syntax regarding the import. As an implementor > I also see no benefits in changing the syntax in the proposed way. > > The following change in Modula-2 is considered in order to allow one pass > compilation: > > ProcedureDeclaration = ProcedureHeading ";" (Block Ident | FORWARD). > > > Werner Heiz > Institut fuer Informatik > Clausiusstr. 55 > CH-8092 ZUERICH > Phone: 01 / 256 22 28 Peter Lamb ({siesmo|decvax}!mcvax!cernvax!ethz) Institut fuer Informatik CH-8092 Zuerich Switzerland