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Newsgroups: comp.sources.reviewed
From: Mike Brennan <brennan@boeing.com>
Subject: v01i016: mawk - An interpreter for the AWK language
Message-ID: <1991Oct1.034809.25992@rick.doc.ca>
Originator: csr@calvin.doc.ca
Sender: news@rick.doc.ca
Nntp-Posting-Host: calvin.doc.ca
Organization: Communications Research Centre, Ottawa
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 03:48:09 GMT
Approved: csr@calvin.doc.ca
Submitted-by: Mike Brennan <brennan@boeing.com>
Posting-number: Volume 1, Issue 16
Archive-name: mawk
Environment: UNIX, DOS
Tested Environments:
ESIX System 5.3.2 Rev D, using gcc 1.39
PS/2, OS/2, Microsoft C 6.00A
AST Premium 386/33, SCO UNIX V/386 3.2.2
Microsoft C compiler, cc
AT&T compiler, rcc
GNU C compiler, gcc (version 1.40)
AST Premium 286/10, MSDOS 3.3
Microsoft C compiler (version 6.0A)
Sun SPARCstation 1, SUNOS 4.1
Sequent Symmetry, Final DYNIX
SCO UNIX 3.2.2, native cc
Dates:
Received: Aug 15 1991
Reviews Returned: Sep 6 1991
Revised Version Received: Sep 16 1991
Accepted: Sep 30 1991
Author's Summary:
-----------------
This is mawk 1.0 an interpreter for the AWK programming language as
defined in the 1988 AWK book, i.e. a new awk.
If you use old awk, you should definitely switch to a new awk
as the language is much more versatile.
Mawk is generally faster than other new (or old) awks.
Mawk also allows the record separator (RS) to be a regular
expression which makes non-line oriented text processing
tasks easier. (See the man pages for examples and section
THE AWK LANGUAGE.11 for the exact record splitting algorithm).
Target OS is all flavors of UNIX, MsDOS
compiled and tested on:
sun3, SunOS4.0.3
sun4, SunOS4.0.3[c] , SunOS4.1
BSD43 VAX
SysVR3 on Stardent3000
Ultrix4.1 on MicroVax3600
Ultrix4.1 on mips decstation
Ultrix4.2 on mips decstation
Ultrix3.1 on vax
XENIX SysV R2.3.1
SCO Unix sysVR3.2v2.0
ESIX System 5.3.2 RevD using gcc 1.39
MsDOS TurboC++1.0, small and large model
MSC 6.0A
(system() and pipes are missing from DOS mawk)
This version of mawk is compatible with the AWK book and
sysVR3 nawk. It lacks a few features of sysVR4 nawk which
have been incorporated into the posix 11.1 draft for awk.
Differences between new awks are discussed in the
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES section of the man pages.
Mawk is distributed without warranty under the terms of the
GNU General Public License, version 2, June 1991. The file
COPYING contains the GNU General Public License, version 2.
Reviewers' Comments:
--------------------
Mawk is the best implementation of the awk programming language to
date. It is significantly faster than both nawk from AT&T and gawk
from the Free Software Foundation. It allows the record separator to
be a regular expression, instead of just a string.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This package seems to be useful for those who want to alter awk or
who have a C-compiler, but no awk. The documentation is what it is: if
one wants to use all the features, the given docs are far from
perfect. However, this program seems to work on several (Sun & PC,
propably some others, too) platforms and is valuable as such.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mawk has replaced awk, nawk, and even gawk in several scripts that I use
regularly. Need I say more?
Okay, I'll say a little bit more: for a couple of nontrivial applications I
use locally, mawk is consistently the fastest awk on our UNIX box. Version
2.13 of gawk is faster than mawk in some areas, but mawk appears to be faster
overall for my applications. /bin/nawk is usually the slowest, often by a
wide margin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Very good. Quite impressive. I would recommend it to anyone with
an MSDOS system or anyone who uses awk alot on large data sets.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The package mawk is spectacular.
It behaves exactly as one would hope. It unpacks gracefully. It has
the appropriate README and INSTALL files and release file.
...
I use a large number of awk programs in my work and each appeared to
perform flawlessly. I checked out the newer features of nawk and they
seemed also to work.
exit 0 # Just in case...
--
Andrew Patrick acting as Comp.Sources.Reviewed Moderator
Department of Communications, Ottawa, CANADA
csr@calvin.doc.CA