Re^2: C on IBM MVS or VM/CMS

[Ted Schroeder]

eager at netcom.UUCP (Michael Eager) writes:
>I ported a version of Spice consisting of several hundred modules 
>and about 110,000 lines of C from Sun to MVS using the compiler
>which IBM provides (I can't seem to remember who really makes the 
>compiler).  There were a number of problems:  the MVS compiler is
>ANSI-ish, the Sun is K&R; I needed to translate all [ to ??( and 
>] to ??) (who would have thought that trigraphs were actually 
>useful?); and I had to eliminate multiple definitions of global
>variables (Sun just merges the definitions).

There should have been no reason at all to translate the [ and ]
to trigraphs unless you didn't get a good ASCII to EBCDIC translation
done when you moved the code.  While most 3270s don't have [ and ]
on the keyboard those with APL capability do (SET APL ON in XEDIT).
You will see some sort of bizarre national language symbol for the 
[ and ] on your 3270 screen, so you will be able to tell that they
are there.  And the compiler certainly recognizes them.  Printing
the listing may be another issue, you have to have the right
print train and have the printer configured properly to use it
correctly.

Entering new lines with [ and ] on them is pretty tricky.  Once
you've got the [ and ] characters onto the system though, it's no
big trick.  I personally keep a file called "BRACKETS C" that has
exactly one line with a paired set of [ and ].  Anytime I need
the characters I just pull them in.  (It does give me a good 
incentive not to use array notation in my coding too, which of
course being a "true C" programmer, I hardly ever do anyway :-).

      Ted Schroeder                   ted at Ultra.com
      Ultra Network Technologies      ...!ames!ultra!ted
      101 Daggett Drive           
      San Jose, CA 95134          
      408-922-0100

Disclaimer:  I don't even believe what I say, why should my company?