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On May 23, 2006, at 12:19 PM, Rex Couture wrote:
> Gosh, there's a lot of philosophy in this discussion, but I don't
> there's any mystery why there are so few users. Besides all the
> external factors (inertia, legacy code, portability, critical mass,
> etc.), there are some real problems in using any Oberon language. In
> spite of their strengths, the implementations have some crucial
> weaknesses. I don't have to dig too far to list some standard ones
> for BlackBox:
>> "Programs" running under the BB environment serve only a very small
>> fraction of potential end users. Yet the BB linker and packer are
>> seriously unfinished. It should be possible to create a freestanding
>> executable with one or two keystrokes, and the linker should not link
>> unusued code. In practice, it is exceedingly difficult to create an
>> .exe file, and that .exe file will likely consist mostly of unused
>> code.
I have had exactly the same problem. Creating an executable should be
made easier.
>> BB lacks standard I/O libraries, as do many Wirth languages. There
>> are the Oakwood standards, but BB ignores them. They are only very
>> partially implemented in BB, by a third party. Portability is
>> undeniably needed, yet BB cannot even read or write an integer with
>> portable code (or at the very least, it's problematic).
>
>> BB is very good for GUI programs in the BB environment, but not as
>> good for non-BB or non-GUI applications. We are told that sequential
>> output is old-fashioned, and its use is discouraged in programs. If
>> it is really obsolete, why is the Log file so prominently displayed
>> in BB? If it isn't obsolete, why is sequential output discouraged in
>> a freestanding program? And how do you do sequential _input_?
If you are interested in sequential input / output with text files, I
have written a module PboxMappers to simplify the process. For numeric
output to text, there is the following formatter:
Formatter = EXTENSIBLE RECORD
(VAR f: Formatter) ConnectTo (text: TextModels.Model), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteInt (n, minWidth: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteReal (x: REAL; minWidth, dec: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteChar (ch: CHAR), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteString (str: ARRAY OF CHAR), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteLn, NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteIntVector (IN v: ARRAY OF INTEGER;
numItm, minWidth: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteRealVector (IN v: ARRAY OF REAL;
numItm, minWidth, dec: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteIntMatrix (IN mat: ARRAY OF ARRAY OF INTEGER;
numR, numC, minWidth: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR f: Formatter) WriteRealMatrix (IN mat: ARRAY OF ARRAY OF REAL;
numR, numC, minWidth, dec: INTEGER), NEW
END;
and for numeric input from text, there is the following scanner:
Scanner = EXTENSIBLE RECORD
eot-: BOOLEAN;
(VAR s: Scanner) ConnectTo (text: TextModels.Model), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) Pos (): INTEGER, NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanInt (OUT n: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanReal (OUT x: REAL), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanChar (OUT ch: CHAR), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanPrevChar (OUT ch: CHAR), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanString (OUT str: ARRAY OF CHAR), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanIntVector (OUT v: ARRAY OF INTEGER;
OUT numItm: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanRealVector (OUT v: ARRAY OF REAL;
OUT numItm: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanIntMatrix (OUT mat: ARRAY OF ARRAY OF INTEGER;
OUT numR, numC: INTEGER), NEW;
(VAR s: Scanner) ScanRealMatrix (OUT mat: ARRAY OF ARRAY OF REAL;
OUT numR, numC: INTEGER), NEW
END;
These sequential input/output facilities do no operate on text files
directly, but they do operate on text streams. They could be used as a
basis for ascii file I/O. They are available at Helmut Zinn's site:
http://www.zinnamturm.de/
under "Pbox".
>> What is a potential user to do? Should one invest heavily and
>> develop libraries and skills just for BB GUI programs, and then
>> duplicate libraries and skills with other languages for other
>> computing needs? It appears that some BB users do exactly that, but
>> most people cannot afford that luxury. Quite honestly, BB still
>> seems a bit unfinished for general use.
I agree, BB seems unfinished for general use.
Stan
J. Stanley Warford
Professor of Computer Science
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA 90263
310-506-4332
Stan.Warford{([at]})nowhere.xy
--- BlackBox
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Received on Wed May 24 2006 - 19:51:31 UTC