Darin,

A low-level rant in the PowerBASIC Forum posing that C/C++ are the glorious
one and only for all saving grace prompts me to return to something that I
worked very hard on here, but never solved.

My whole world world (Well not quite!) revolves around multiple dimension
variable length string arrays as well as automatic garbage collection.  For
research purposes I've managed to create a cross-source translator from
PowerBASIC 3.5 for DOS to Watcom C/C++ for about 135 of the 225 total
functions I use in PowerBASIC.  So done, I have a great deal of respect for
Thales and some other folks who purport to offer very expensive translation
services .. and the specificity of the particular code style for which they
will do that ... chuckle.

I've not worked with this for a good while, partly because of the crush of
things real I have to do with my projects, partly because of my failure to
be able to handle multiple dimension char arrays by and between CALLS to
SUBS that I need in Watcom C/C++ Version 11.   I have the latest release,
but haven't worked with it since I upgraded all the stuff to the free
version.

From a thinking standpoint, I believe I would like to return to the issue
of conversion of the following from BASIC to C/C++ with automatic
allocation and deallocation of memory plus the ability to work with in
structs as opposed to UDT's, calls to subs and functions ...

       DIM X$(10, 25)  ' Where X$ is a variable length string

       DIM X$(-RDIM% to +RDIM%) ' same comment

       DIM X$(-RDIM% to +RDIM%, -SDIM% to +SDIM%) ' same comment.

Yes, I *DO* use this all the time in PowerBASIC.  Direct memory writes to
move whole professional templates between massive action switches on the
desktop is horribly fast and efficient for me.

No, this is *NOT* a bully-bait, my dog is bigger than your dog issue.

Whether you know it or not, IBM has given up on Visual Age for C++ as a
compiler for Mozilla for OS/2 and is moving to GCC+ for all future browser
work .. platform wide, I think.

GCC whatever is now being used to port MAX to LINUX now, as I'm sure
everyone who has the MUFFIN echo knows.

Yes, PowerBASIC has been promised for LINUX and now .. officially, in
writing, by Bob as for, "other platforms", as well!

But I am reminded of the dying man who asked his nurse for a Priest, a
Rabbi, and a Minister!  Nurse Ratchett asked, "Why?"  He quickly
answered, "I'm hedging my bets!"  That with an appology for the
humor over the Nurse Ratchett fun here!  Those of us very older FidoNet
folks may just recall the flap over the allegation that there was no such
person in certain echos, and .. turned out .. there was!

This won't be a "Do it overnighty" issue if it can be finally
worked out for me in this forum.  The crush of other things for me is still
here as well, including the HIPAApotamus and paperwork surrounding death
and taxes that swirls around and around us all here.

But any thoughts here and a return to this cesspool would be appreciated.


--> Sleep well; OS/2's still awake! ;)

Mike {at} 1:117/3001

--- Maximus/2 3.01