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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
- Path: sparky!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!think.com!cass.ma02.bull.com!mips2!bubba!sje
- From: sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com (Steven J. Edwards)
- Subject: A few more suggestions for THINK C
- Reply-To: sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com
- Organization: Bull HN, Worldwide Information Systems, Billerica, Mass., USA
- Distribution: comp
- Date: 20 Jul 92 18:06:20
- Message-ID: <SJE.92Jul20180620@xylos.ma30.bull.com>
- Sender: news@mips2.ma30.bull.com (Usenet News Manager)
- Lines: 67
-
- Here are a few little things I would like to see in future THINK C
- development. For what it's worth:
-
- 1) Filenames in the project window should use a monospace font,
- perhaps our beloved Monaco 9. I think that tabular data should at
- least allow monospace fonts, and I think Apple also shares this view
- to some extent. I note that they encourage monospace digits even in
- non-monospace fonts for this reason.
-
- 2) The project window should have indicators for each entry that flag
- libraries versus plain source files. A double click on a library
- entry should do something of interest, perhaps identifying some info
- about the library project.
-
- 3) The transfer menu selection on the File menu does not do anything
- if the selected program cannot be run due to memory limitations. I
- think that there should be two menu picks: one named "Exec" that works
- like a Unix exec call, and one named "Chain" (or "Transfer") that
- terminates THINK C and starts the indicated program. This second call
- would be something new and usable by those with fat programs and slim
- memory. (An example: I have 4 MByte, but my application takes 3
- MByte and a THINK C Transfer won't work; but a chain would.)
-
- 4) There should be some kind of autosegmentation option with the
- project window. Why should a deveoper fiddle with moving project
- entries around? It would be much nicer if THINK C could just generate
- code segment partitioning without human intervention. How hard is it
- to count to 32 KByte? After all, the compiler already keeps track of
- this information.
-
- 5) There should be some kind of hook in THINK C project scanning that
- allows a developer to specify some third party program to be
- automatically invoked on C sources at specified times. For example, a
- third party semantic checker could be called each time after source
- file is compiled correctly. An indentation or pretty printer source
- processor could be called after a file is changed and successfully
- compiled but before it is printed. I think that this kind of option
- would go a long way in keeping down the demand for functions secondary
- to compilation in THINK C itself. If this is done cleverly enough,
- THINK C could be re-invoked by some small lurker program so the whole
- scheme would work on small systems.
-
- 6) The project file should keep track of potential conflicts in
- compilation option values among user files and libraries. Thus, an
- unwary user would be warned if he/she chose incompatable type size
- selections between a user program and a supplied library.
-
- 7) There is a lot to do with C, but it is unclear that it is wise for
- one product to do it all. I am wary of the direction of C programming
- for the DOS/Windows world where some suppliers want to be all things
- to all developers in a single package. A better approach is to
- segregate along commonsense boundaries so developers can get and pay
- for what they need; no more and no less. I would prefer that THINK C
- have a single core product that included the integrated editor,
- compiler, and linker. The class library could be a separate part, as
- could be the C++ effort. I've personally dealt with the
- multi-kilogram unitary C development packages from Borland, Microsoft,
- and SCO; I really don't need another one from Symantec. I can see the
- bumpersticker now:
-
- "Save a tree and buy THINK C"
-
- [The above opinions expressed are my own; not necessarily held by others.]
- == Steven J. Edwards Bull HN Information Systems Inc. ==
- == (508) 294-3484 300 Concord Road MS 820A ==
- == sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com Billerica, MA 01821 USA ==
- "That Government which Governs the Least, Governs Best." -- Thomas Jefferson
-