Hi David--

    It is nice to know that IBM (or at least the teampli-support part)
listens, sometimes.  If you will remember, late last summer we discussed
the bug in PL/I 1.1 that refused to recognize zero length lines at the
beginning of an ASCII sequential file when using GET EDIT(L).  After you
confirmed that the bug existed in the Professional Edition, I reported
same to the lovely Carolyn, and she replied that the PL/I powers-that-be
had confirmed that the bug was still in the new version 1.2, and it
would be fixed RSN.

    The fix is mentioned in the README for PL/I 1.2 CSD#1.  I have
(perhaps temporarily) deleted PL/I 1.1 Personal Edition and have
installed the Professional Edition (since there isn't a Personal Edition
any more) of version 1.2 from DevCon 12, which includes CSD#1.  Tried
the same test case that demonstrated the bug; the new version works as
it should have.

    Unfortunately, the DevCon product is a "time bomb" edition.  The
lovely Carolyn says it should last two months.  Whether or not I will
actually buy the non-vanishing edition when this one becomes inoperative
depends somewhat on whether DevCon 13 arrives first, and includes the
compiler (presumably with a new start date).

    One parting thought:  There might be a lot more users of PL/I
(besides me, and you mainframe Neanderthals) if IBM authors would plant
a few helpful articles in the desktop-systems press.  Now that there is
an almost-compatible version of the compiler for Win95/NT, it wouldn't
even have to cater only to those of us in the OS/2 crowd.  The series
comparing PL/I and C/C++ currently running in "The PL/I Connection" is
preaching to the converted!

    Regards,

          --Murray

___
 * MR/2 2.25 #120 * Stay alive!  Learn something new every day.

--- Maximus/2 2.02