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Date:	Sat, 1 Feb 2003 14:42:17 PST8
From:	"Lynn H. Maxson" <lmaxson@pacbell.net >
Reply-To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
To:	SCOUG Programming SIG <scoug-programming@scoug.com >
Subject:	SCOUG-Programming: February SIG meeting

Content Type: text/plain

I downloaded the latest release of the Watcom C/C++/Fortran
compiler. I like the installation process better than the clerical
one associated with GCC/EMX. I even thought I would give the
IDE a try, setting up HPCALC as a project. It went fine up to
that point and to hell in a handbasket shortly thereafter.

I backed off of that, switching over to install the GCC/EMX
system on the SCOUG CD. It's interesting when your
instructions for properly unzipping and laying out the directory
structure consolidating much of the components ends up as
part of the zipped data. After a bit of XCOPYing I managed to
get most of it into a consolidated EMX directory. Then I set
about reading the install.doc making what I think are the
needed changes to config.sys. I've rebooted. It at least now
recognizes gcc as an executable.

Over the next few days I will verify that the setup is correct
and that I can compile the components of HPCalc. I have
concerns when different C compilers supposedly adhering to
the same standards, at least syntactically, react differently.

We want to use HPCalc as a means of providing a "level"
starting point for everyone, programmers and
non-programmers. We want everyone to be able to read and
understand the code. The programmers among us need to
communicate how they go about reading, analysing, and
understanding source code in a manner that non-programmers
can use.

We do have to have the tools working for everyone. I'm
slightly curious, for example, why the emx runtime (emxrt.zip)
is not on the CD. Maybe we should consider using something
like WARPIN as an installer instead of the current "follow the
install.doc".

No one except Sheridan either picked up or showed interest in
the discussion related to using a database instead of a file
manager for maintaining source. As most of you are not
COBOL programmers you are not aware that this 1964
programming language, which came to dominate the
mainframe arena, allows reuse down to the statement level,
i.e. one sentence paragraph. That didn't occur again until the
introduction of logic programming, e.g. Prolog, and reusable
rules at the statement level.

Now some may not quite see the fun in all this. After a bit
others may wonder how those whose business lies in detailed
logical thinking can stray from it in overly complicated
methods. They seem so deep in admiration for the trees that
they have lost sight of the forest. You would think that those
who invented the KISS principle would not have abandoned it
so readily. Though they did not invent Occam's Razor, they
have chosen to ignore it.

Nah, it should be fun.

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