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Please review the appended draft of an FAQ, and send your comments and
contributions to randy@psg.com.  Thanks.

randy

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -   c u t   h e r e   - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Originally by     - mgallo@iptech.com (Mike Gallo)
Maintained by	  - randy@psg.com (Randy Bush)

CONTENT

1)  What is Comp.lang.modula2?
2)  What is Modula-2?
3)  What about Modula-2 standardization?
4)  What are Oberon and Oberon-2?
5)  What about Modula-3, Object Oberon, and Seneca?
6)  Where can I find publicly available implementations of Modula-2?
7)  Where can I find publicly available	implementations of Oberon(-2)?
8)  Where can I find interesting libraries and sources?


(1)  What is Comp.lang.modula2?

Comp.lang.modula2 is a forum for the discussion of the Modula-2 programming
language and related topics.  Prominent "related topics" have been the Oberon
languages.  The newsgroup is gated to the FidoNet echo conference MODULA-2.


(2)  What is Modula-2?

Modula-2 is a programming language designed by Niklaus Wirth of Pascal fame.
Among other things, it features strong typing, a rich variety of data types,
a powerful set of control statements, procedure types, opaque types, modules,
and coroutines.

3)  What about Modula-2 standardization?

There is no standard for the Modula-2 language or library beyond Niklaus
Wirth's classic text, "Programming in Modula-2".  There is an ISO committee,
ISO/JTC1/SC22/WG13, which has circulated a number of drafts which have varied
between editions.

To find out what's happening with standardization, contact the chair of WG13,
Mark Woodman, m.woodman@open.ac.uk.


(3)  What are Oberon and Oberon-2?

The Oberon language was a part of Wirth's Oberon operating system.  Oberon is
the successor to Modula-2 by Niklaus Wirth (now at ETH, Zuerich).  In brief,
it removes variant records, opaque types, enumerations, subranges, the
CARDINAL type, local modules, automatic qualifications, general indexing, the
FOR and WITH statements, and even the notion of a program or main module.
Oberon adds type extension (inheritance) and, in its purest form, automatic
garbage collection.

Oberon-2 is Oberon with a small set of extensions by H.  Moessenboeck, also
of ETH, Zuerich.  These extensions are type-bound procedures (methods),
read-only export, open array variables, a WITH statement with variants, and
the reintroduction of the FOR loop.

More detailed information can be found in _Software: Practice and Experience_
(July 1988, September 1989) and by anonymous ftp at
neptune.inf.ethz.ch:/Oberon/Docu.


(4)  What about Modula-3, Object Oberon, and Seneca?

Modula-3 is an interesting language designed at DEC Software Research Center
also as a successor to Modula-2.  Unless there is a specific question about
how it relates to Modula-2 or Oberon, however, posts about Modula-3 would be
better directed to Comp.lang.modula3.

Object Oberon is an Oberon variant designed by H.  Moessenboeck and J. Templ
of ETH, Zuerich.  It eventually evolved into Oberon-2.

Seneca is an Oberon variant focusing on numerical applications and is by R.
Griesemer of ETh, Zuerich. It is still under development.


(5)  Where can I find implementations of Modula-2?

While there have been several implementations of Modula-2, they are not as
numerous nor as easy to find as, for example, C.  Some implementations are
listed below.  These are merely some commonly used implementations, and this
should not be taken as a recommendation of any of the following products.

For MS-DOS:

     Fitted Software Tools
     P.O. Box 867403
     Plano, TX 75086
     USA
     ftp at ftp.psg.com:pub/modula-2/pc

     Clarion Topspeed Modula-2
     Clarion Software
     150 East Sample Road
     Pompano Beach, FL  33064
     USA

     Multiscope Modula-2
     Multiscope, Inc.
     1235 Pear Ave.
     Mountain View, CA  94043
     USA
     (415) 968-4892

     Stony Brook Software

Sun-3:

    From: borchert@MATHEMATIK.UNI-ULM.DE (Andreas Borchert)

    Ulm's Modula-2 system for SUN 3 is now available via anonymous ftp from
    titania.mathematik.uni-ulm.de (134.60.66.21). You'll find it in the
    subdirectory soft/modula.

VMS:

    ModulaWare GmbH
    GraphicSystems & Modula-2 Software
    Wilhelstrasse 17A
    D-8520 Erlangen
    Phone: 49-9131/208395
    Fax:   49-9131/28205
    e-mail: g_dotzel@ame.nbg.sub.org

Misc:

    EPC (Edinburgh Portable Compilers, Ltd) have a series of compilers for
    different systems.  Their Modula-2 compiler is available for (among
    others) these systems:
        SCO Unix V
	Motorola 88000 generic
	Sun 3 and Sun 4
	Unisys 6000 series
	Sequent Symmetry
	Interactive Unix V
	ICL DRS 400E  and 6000
	Solbourne
    Edinburgh Portable Compilers, Ltd.
    17 Alva Street
    Edinburgh
    EH2 4PH
    UK
    Telephone:  +44 31 225 6262
    Fax:        +44 31 225 6644

[a Modula-2 to C translator kit ]

    From: sgccseh@citecuc.citec.oz.au (Stephen Hocking)

    It is in /pub/cocktail/mtc.tar.Z on the machine ftp.karlsruhe.gmd.de,
    where the bloke who wrote it all (Josef Grosch) is based. You will also
    need reuse.tar.Z and front.tar.Z from the same directory. For those
    interested in compilers, that directory is a goldmine.  The stuttgart-uni
    address was an alternative whose connections were a bit more reliable at
    the time.
    
From: rschnapp@metaflow.com (Russ Schnapp)
Subject: Vendor status
Date: 28 Jul 92 17:28:26 GMT
Organization: Metaflow Technologies Inc.

Hi.  I moderate the BIX system's Modula-2 conference.  One of our
participants has the following request for usenet modulans:

==========
modula.2/long.messages #280, from digic, 2865 chars, Mon Jul 27 21:24:44 1992
----------
TITLE: Searching for Modula-2 vendors
I have been building a list of Modula-2 compilers and tools and have had
trouble locating certain vendors.  I have not received any response from
the following companies which I have written to request current information
on their product offerings.  I am pretty sure several of them are still
in business at the address I have, so if anyone knows how to rouse them
please let me know.  Also, it would be nice if someone could cross-post
this message to comp.lang.modula-2 (Internet).  I would appreciate it if
anyone can give me an updated status (eg. out of business, new address,
etc.) or any additional information on the following companies:

  Associated Computer Experts b.v.
  Van Eeghenstraat 100
  Amsterdam 1071GL
  Netherlands
  (ACE EXPERT Modula-2 for 680x0)

  Computer System Architects
  950 N. University Avenue
  Provo, Utah 84604
  U.S.A.
  (Modula-2 development systems for Transputers)

  Edinburg Portable Compilers Ltd.
  17 Alva Street
  Edinburg EH2 4PH
  United Kingdom
  (epc Modula-2 for 680x0, 80x86, 88xx0, RS/6000, SPARC)

  Fitted Software Tools
  P.O. Box 956129
  Duluth, GA 30136
  U.S.A.
  (FST Modula-2 for IBM PC and compatibles (shareware))

  Introl Corporation
  9220 W. Howard Avenue     647 W. Virginia St.
  Milwaukee, WI 53288       Milwaukee, WI 53204
  U.S.A>
  (Cross compiler for targets H630x, M680x, M680x0, NS32000)

  Jefferson Software
  12416 N. 28th Dr. #18-236
  Phoenix, AZ 85029-2434
  U.S.A.
  (Jefferson Modula-2 for Atari ST (and others?))

  Masthaven Development Limited
  East Suite, 511 Coldham Lane
  Cambridge CB1 3LN
  United Kingdom
  (Masthaven Modula-2 for 68000 UNIX)

  Megamax
  1200 East Collins, Suite 214
  Richardson, TX 75081
  U.S.A.
  (Megamax Modula-2 for Atari ST (and maybe Commodore Amiga?))

  PMI
  P.O. Box 8402                 3279 N. Nicolet Drive
  Green Bay, WI 54308-8402      Green Bay, WI 54311
  U.S.A.
  (Repertoire and other software component libraries)

  Real Time Associates Ltd.
  Canning House
  59 Canning Road
  Croydon, Surrey CRO 6QF
  United Kingdom
  (A huge catalog of most Modula-2 products in existence)

  Rowley Associates
  32 Rowley
  Cam, Dursley
  Glos. GL11 5NT
  United Kingdom
  (Rowley Modula-2 for "most platforms")

  TDI Software Inc.
  10355 Brockwood Rd.
  Dallas, Texas 75238
  U.S.A.
  (TDI Modula-2 for Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh)

  TERRA Datentechnik
  Bahnhofstrasse 33
  CH-8703 Erlenbach
  Switzerland
  (M2VMS (formerly Logitech's?) + distributor for others)

  2i Industrial Informatics GmbH
  Haierweg 20e
  D-7800 Freiburg
  Germany
  (MOCKA Modula-2 for DEC VAX(VMS&ULTRIX) & maybe others)

  Vail Silicon Tools Inc.
  Box 165
  Pompano Beach, FL 33069
  U.S.A.
  (Mod 51 cross-compiler (PC host) for 8051 controller)

Thanks!
Roy Starkey (BIX: digic, Internet: starkey@issi.com)


(6)  Where can I find implementations of Oberon(-2)?

To repeat, this should not be taken as a recommendation of any of the
following products, but. . .

ETH, Zuerich has released free implementations of the Oberon system.  These
include Oberon compilers.  They are available by anonymous ftp at
neptune.inf.ethz.ch:/Oberon/* or gatekeeper.dec.com:/pub/plan/oberon/*.

Oberon-M is an independently produced Oberon compiler for MS-DOS systems that
can also be found at neptune and gatekeeper.

There is also a Modula-2/Oberon-2 to C translator available through Real Time
Associates Ltd.
    Canning House
    59 Canning Road
    Croydon
    Surrey
    CRO 6QF
    UK


From: thutt@THAMA1.APGEA.ARMY.MIL
Subject: Oberon compiler information
Date: 28 Jul 92 16:22:00 GMT

    smith@ctron.com writes that he is interested in finding the source to
    the Oberon compilers.

    The source to the Oberon compilers is not publicly available however,
    you can license the front end and/or the back end for the Oberon-2
    compiler from ETH for 1000 Swiss Francs.  The license agreement does
    prohibits you from redistributing the source, but you are free to do
    whatever you want with any derivative product, provided you give ETH
    credit for the original compiler source.
    You are also required to make ETH aware of your product, and provide the
    product to them should they ask.  It does not state if it needs to be
    source or executable code, however.

    It is a pretty loose agreement, but not so loose to hinder ETH.
    1000 SFr is about 757 dollars, as of last month.

    If you would like the entire text of the license agreement, let me know,
    and I will be happy to type it in.


7) Where can I find interesting libraries and sources?

Amiga Sources:

    From: htgoebel@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (hartmut Goebel)
    
    At ftp.uni-paderborn.de in /amiga/amok you can get all the disks from the
    AMOK series via anonymous ftp.  Please download only 18.00 - 8.00 h
    (MET), cause the transmitt rate is low. Perhaps someone call move the
    disks to overseas, too.

    On this series there are several modules both for Oberon and modula2 and
    executable programms (most with source).  While the Programms almost run
    only on the Amiga, the modules may be interesting for other systems, too.

    There are modules for many diverent usages, not only generic.

MAS Modula-2 Algebra System

    From: kredel@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de (Heinz Kredel)

    MAS is an experimental computer algebra system combining imperative
    programming facilities with algebraic specification capabilities for
    design and study of algebraic algorithms.  MAS views mathematics in the
    sense of universal algebra and model theory and is in some parts
    influenced by category theory.

    MAS (0.3x and 06.x) is available on electronic networks (internet) via
    anonymous ftp from:  alice.fmi.uni-passau.de = 123.231.10.1

FidoNet's Modula-2/Oberon Archive

    1:105/6 has a lot of source, compilers, examples, ...  +1 (503) 297-9145

ftp.psg.com:~/pub/modula-2
ftp.psg.com:~/pub/oberon
    have compilers, source examples, ...

-30-

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