Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!hpcllla!hpcllld!hcmutt From: hcmutt@hpcllld.HP.COM (Harry Muttart) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Which Modula-2 Message-ID: <6790012@hpcllld.HP.COM> Date: 23 Jun 88 01:22:32 GMT References: <57@tdb.uu.se> Organization: HP NSG/ISD Computer Language Lab Lines: 54 Hello, Having used both to write programs for the Amiga, the following can be said... compiler performance: Benchmark wins hands-down...(can be made memory resident) TDI uses the four-pass model...Benchmark uses the one-pass. compiled program code size: Depends...TDI has a linker that only includes needed procedures from modules...Benchmark chops modules up less (Intuition decls in single module!) and these modules are smaller than TDI. TDI seems to have the edge for small programs which rely on few "outside" modules (my opinion...AmigaWorld does not necessarily agree). compiled program performance: Depends...Comparable according to AmigaWorld... Benchmark uses the fast floating point so programs which do a lot of crunching will usually do better on Benchmark. If the 1.3 version of DOS has faster IEEE floating point, this advantage may disappear. dependability: Benchmark wins hands-down...For TDI, you need the library source to identify "odd problems" (my opinion). Compiler occaisionally GURU's. Benchmark also can be used more dependably on a 512K system. integration: Benchmark provides a very nicely integrated environment. If you do not care for the editor supplied (micro GNUmacs) you can use individual tools. If you choose TDI, be sure to get a copy of the M2error from one of the Fish disks...much better than using the flakey TDI editor (it has one feature that I really like (tabbing to align to the next non-blank column in the line above)). Benchmark load file format conforms to Amiga standards (works with MetaScope). leverage other Amiga languages: Benchmark wins hands down. An assembler interface is supported. The optional "C libraries" library makes relatively painless conversion of C code a possibility; a crude conversion tool (CtoM2) is also included in the set of example programs. TDI supports use of HEX for in-line code and for "assembler" procedures. programming tools: Benchmark seems "ahead." When the souce level debugger shows up (Real Soon Now), it will be the clear winner. docmentation: Benchmark wins hands-down. cost: Benchmark with the optional modules is more expensive than TDI. For me it is worth it. other sources: See the most recent AmigaWorld, which compares TDI, M2Amiga, and Benchmark. I believe that the marketing problems for Benchmark have been dealt with... I no longer see Oxxi advertising the product. The proper company to contact is Avant Garde Software 2213 Woodburn Plano TX 75075 214/964-0260 Harry Muttart PS - Is the $330 for the TDI commercial version?