🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <748@stag.UUCP> to_stdnet@stag.UUCP writes:
>From: dal@syntel.UUCP (Dale Schumacher)

>This is a bit long, but it is an important issue that has lay dormant
>for quite some time now.  David doesn't tell the WHOLE story...
>
I still hold to my original article.   All the things Dale talks
about happended *after* the history I spelled out.

I received my first copy of MWC in the Fall of 1986, prior to 
the 1986 Comdex.   The only other compilers available at that
time were Alcyon and Megamax.   I was working with people from
Manx (Aztec C) and I had a Beta release of that compiler *at that
time* in the fall of 1986.   Dale shows an article by Allan Pratt 
where Allan points out some problems with the MWC method; here's
the header to that message:

>| From: apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt)
>| Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
>| Subject: Extended Argument Passing Proposal
>| Keywords: dlibs, xargs, argument passing
>| Message-ID: <891@atari.UUCP>
>| Date: 20 Nov 87 21:59:24 GMT
>| Reply-To: syntel!dal@stag
>| Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale CA

This is long *after* version 1.10 of MT C-Shell and Version 2.70
of Micro C-Shell were released, nearly a year after the MWC
ARGV format had been chosen.   Again I repeat that I chose the
MWC ARGV method for the following reasons:

	1) Alcyon didn't have any method for argv[0] or > 128 bytes
	2) ditto for Megamax 
	3) Mark Williams C existed and had an extended format.
	4) Manx agreed to support the MWC method
	5) Atari didn't say anything (yet)

Hence the MWC method was adopted in late 1986/early 1987.

>As I've already shown, the MT C-Shell adoption of MWC format occured, at
>the earliest, in early 1988 and the dLibs/XARGS standard has been around
>for at least that long.  It's too bad that ATARI has not taken a firm
>stand on this issue.  I'd like to see them take a stand NOW!  Consider
>the options carefully and MAKE ONE OF THEM STANDARD!

As I stated above, the MWC method was adopted well before 1988 and Atari
didn't make a fuss about it until it had been in use for at least one year.
I agree with the complaints about it, but it's all there was at the time.
I'm still not *changing* it until *everyone* agrees on something becuase
what's to say somebody won't change their mind again next week.

And I agree that Atari should take a much stronger leadership role on such
issues - but it may be a little late for that now.  No matter what they
decide now, I expect there will still be a lot of programs that
"do it their way" and a full conversion could take quite a while,
especially since many vendors are no longer supportting their ST products.

>
>--
>      Dale Schumacher                         399 Beacon Ave.
>      (alias: Dalnefre')                      St. Paul, MN  55104
>      ...bungia!cctb!syntel!dal               United States of America
>             "I may be competitive, but I'm never ruthless"
> 


-- 
David Beckemeyer (david@bdt.UUCP)	| "Lester Moore - Four slugs from a .44
Beckemeyer Development Tools		|  no Les, no more."
478 Santa Clara Ave. Oakland, CA 94610	|   - Headstone at Boot Hill
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