release?_(re)

Mon, 29 Jul 96 13:08:31 CST

On Sat, 27 Jul 1996 23:00:20 +0200 (MET DST, 
Peter Gerwinski   wrote:

>Hello again,
>
>there was a bug in my GPI stuff: File types did not
>survive transport through a GPI file.  I am sure this
>was not the last bug, but now a very useful physics 
>program works, so I am optimistic.
>
>gpc-pg-1.2-2.7.2.tar.gz has been updated.
>
>Release?
>

I know of two good reasons not to release 2.7.2 (yet):

1) Remaining bug(s). Last time I looked, that "functions returning a string
are called three times" bug was still there. That's a serious problem for
anything bigger than "Hello world". Also (I mentioned before): gpc fails two
of the "paranoia" Pascal compiler float tests because it loses significant 
digits. I'd be carefull with that physics program, Peter.

2) Almost all messages / email I read about GPC are not about "compiler
bug X keeps me from using it" or "feature Y is missing" but
"HOW DO I INSTALL THE THING ON MY SYSTEM ?"
"Where's the docs" is a popular one too.

That's why I'm busy rewriting configuration scripts using GNU autoconf and
have created .bat files for the dos version.
Then, building it is reduced to "configure ; make"
I have it done for the RTS, am working on GPC itself now. I think it should
be able to locate gcc sources and objects by itself (if they are in a
reasonable location). It works great for the RTS already.

Arguments in favour of release:
1) New features (These have to be mentioned in a "NEWS" file. I think we 
have (a) better BPascal Objects (b) Improved module support, but there must
be other user-visible changes as well.

2) Releasing 2.7.2 because gcc-2.6.3 is obsolete is an argument, but I don't
think we'll have to wait much longer for gcc 2.8 and from what I've seen so
far, it's not radically different from gcc-2.7.x (internally).
So porting gpc to 2.8 should take too long.

If this thing is to be released in one or two weeks I think we should make
a "release candidate" so everybody can check wether his patches are in and
binaries for all platforms can be built.

/janjaap

---
Thus spake the master programmer:
"After three days without programming, life becomes meaningless."
[The Tao Of Programming]

J.J. van der Heijden (j.j.vanderheijden@student.utwente.nl)