[Coco] OS-9 Library generation

[Gene Heskett]

On Wednesday 13 May 2015 05:44:36 Bill Pierce via Coco wrote:
> Gene, the problems I'm having with c.prep19b is all to do with memory.
> First is the line length. I changed that var in the source and
> recompiled it and got nothing but: "Define $Tring table full"
> and I have no clue how to get to that can of worms. I discussed it
> with Willard and he said he never got that deep into it and just had
> fixed a couple of things and stopped.

So now I am wondering what he did do.  I *think* I have a copy of his 
version on my web page, but have not actually looked at the sources.

> I got frustrated and give up as 
> I have no time to peruse that code and learn it's ins and outs.

For one thing, this is where the "scope" of a variable is controlled.  
The correct use of that means the you can have a var named "maxi" used 
at various places in the code that reference their own local copy of 
that var, but not the same named var in some other section of the code.  
So I'll have to brush up on that in the red C K&R book before I make any 
huge changes.

I also have a cp22.lzh on my page, but I wasn't sure if I was doing it 
right, so I haven't promoted it as being correct.  I recall using it 
once or twice, but it has not been thru the wringer of building 
something like rzsz-3.3.6 again that I can recall. I didn't collect that 
and pack it til 2010, at which time my memory was at leat 16 years 
rusty.  I put it up to serve as raw material for whoever might want to 
take it for a walk and who knew enough about compilers to fix any of my 
goofups.

In the meantime, just to define whats what, there are 3 c.prep19's on my 
site.  The unadorned one I know is mine, and IIRC the a/b versions are 
Willards.  Give the plain c.prep19.lzh version a shot at it and see if 
you still get the same problems with line lengths.  That way I might be 
able to figure where to start.

Do you have a copy of cntx5?  Its a rather elementary syntax checker, 
making sure you closed all the (, [, ", ', etc pairs needed.

That also could, in todays environment, stand to be improved even more I 
am sure, but it has sure caught a boatload of typu's for me in the past.
I wrote that originally on the coco, then ported it and made quite a few 
extensions on the amiga, where I was using SAS/C, then backported it to 
the coco again as version 5.

> For 
> now, I have no problems with the MW c.prep, but I know that's just a
> big ? hanging in the air. I would rather work with 19b as it finds
> little things that mw c.prep lets slide. So until someone comes along
> and puts all the memory back in, it's really useless to me.
>
> I do agree it would be a better program, but when it don't work for
> me, I have to go with what does. Also keep in mind, the sources I'm
> compiling are no small 100 line, single source modules. Most are full
> to the max on what I can get in the text editor (about 475 lines) and
> each module averages about 20-30 sources. And yes, there's probably a
> lot that can be optimized to smaller code, but I can only do what I
> know how to do and there's no one else working on it so I do what I
> can do. I'm no C genius, but I've learned a lot in the past 4 years
> now. The code I write now looks much better than the code I started
> with 4 years ago :-)

I'm a bit short in that dept too, and now I am 23 years rusted. :(  Too 
many amiga's and linux's litter the trail behind me.
>
> You're welcome to take a look at my sources any time (I could use the
> advice), but be prepared for "The Spaghettiville Horror" LMAO.
> Actually, it's not THAT bad, but it gets the job done.

I have a Dr's appointment early this afternoon, but I'll see if I can 
locate my srcs again & see if I can make the command line buffer bigger. 
Sometime this evening if I can get this rusty old brain back into it.

> Bill Pierce
> "Charlie stole the handle, and the train it won't stop going, no way
> to slow down!" - Ian Anderson - Jethro Tull
>
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Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
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