compiler bug

[J. David Bryan]

On 13 Oct 2001, at 6:45, CBFalconer wrote:

> My contention is that output is *ALWAYS* implicitly used, in order
> to report range errors, etc.

I don't see where that contention is supported by the ISO 7185 standard.  
Clearly, if the program-parameter-list is optional, it cannot be always 
required, else it would not be optional.  Can you cite a statement from the 
standard to support your conclusion?  The ISO standard is available from:

  http://www.pascal-central.com/standards.html

...if you don't have a copy handy.

Moreover, one of the examples that accompanies section 6.10 of the ISO 
standard is:

  program copy (f, g);
  var f, g : file of real;
  begin reset(f); rewrite(g);
    while not eof(f) do
      begin g^ := f^; get(f); put(g)
      end
  end.

Nary an "output" in sight (although examples are not normative).


> I definitely remember that this was included in the original test suite. 

"The original test suite" of what?


> Horrors.  I consider that fundamental.

Be welcome to contribute a fix.  ;-)  Seriously, that is the one certain 
way of ensuring that GPC has the feature support that you want.  (As an 
aside, I happen to agree that range checking is important, though not as 
fundamental as ensuring that syntactic requirements are enforced strictly 
in standards-compliant modes.)


> I thought I read that it would compile c, cpp, etc source if the source
> files carried those extensions. 

A GPC build from source does create a C compiler as a side-effect of the 
process.  However, C libraries and headers are not included in the GPC 
source distribution, so its utility is limited.  C++ is not included.


> Sorry, I had the impression that you were one of those.

I appreciate the compliment, but I'm just one of the 200 or so names listed 
as the "other contributors" on the "Contributors to GPC" page of the 
manual.


> Is development moribund?

I wouldn't say so.  If you look at the "ChangeLog" for the source code, you 
will find multiple changes made in for each of the past months of this 
year.  A peek at the CVS snapshots directory:

  ftp://agnes.dida.physik.uni-essen.de/gnu-pascal/alpha/

...also shows quite a number of releases in 2001.

                                      -- Dave