Making portable utilities (originally void typecasts)

[Valdis Kletnieks]

I wish to thank the two people who E-mailed me telling me that VMS has a
"make" facility available.  However, whereas "make" is part of the bundled
Un*x, VAX DEC/MMS, Version 2.0 (SPD 20.03.05) is an additional-charge
product.  My copy of the DEC Reference Service says that as a mininum charge
to install this on a Vax 780 with a mag-tape, you need to order:

Single-Use License Option -           QE500-UZ    $2,100
Distribution & Documentation Option - QE500-HM      $521
total                                             $2,621
(Please, no flames if this is wrong...)

(software maintainance is extra...)

flame on...

It's really nice that some sites have this tool, but I don't see it at my
site.   Not all Vaxen run Un*x, and the ones that don't do not necessarily
have all this neat stuff bundled in.  My original point still stands, that
editing a Makefile will not make it all better.   I will grant that giving
the equivalent of -Dvoid=int on the command may "solve" the problem, but that
is ** NOT ** the same thing.

All those of you talking about "portable" C code and associated issues out
there: Make SURE that when porting between operating systems that the concepts
are in fact equivalent.  In this case, not editing the makefile and defining
'void' in the compile command will do it.  However, I shudder to think what
will happen if people taking fast-and-loose interpretations of the concept of
a 'makefile' run into something more subtle and not as easy to see.

Software portability is not just getting your int's the right length....


flame off...

                      Valdis Kletnieks
                      Systems Programmer
                      Educational Resources Center
                      Clarkson University

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