Re: libraries

[Stephen Usher <steve@earth.ox.ac.uk>]

>
>I definitely agree that we need a set of standard include files with
>common prototypes and common structure definitions which all libraries
>can use for TOS/MiNT functions. So I'll second your motion, except that
>putting such files in a subdirectory would cause problems with compatibility
>(gcc needs #include <foo/bar.h> while some other compilers need
>#include <foo\bar.h>, and still others might want #include <foo\\bar.h>).

Yes, but this does mess up the system independent header files in the
include directory. I suggest... for general atari headers it should be in
sys, vdi and aes should be in gem, this is just my point of view. Anyway, C
pre-processors which can't handle Unix-style forward slashes should be
zapped in my opinion... after all 90% of all C code written uses forward
slashes, this includes stuff for the DOS world, so why not Atari?

>
>Oh, I'll also second Julian's suggestion that the souce should continue
>to have CR/LF as line terminators. Many TOS tools don't grok just plain
>LF, and this includes some of the target compilers! (I think Sozobon and
>PureC have trouble with Unix style files).

Why not have a switch... after all I myself find the extra CR's a pain in
the backside... most of the editors I use show then up as ^M, the version of
patch I have barfs at them and I've had to spend many an hour hunting down
parts of programs which write files of a specific format for the one bit
where the extra unwanted guest has been output.

CR's should have been left behind in the 1970's and if it weren't for MSDOS
and OS-9 they would have been! Who needs two characters to denote the end of
a line when one will do?

>
>Eric
>

Sorry for getting a bit het up!

Steve

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Computer Systems Administrator, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Oxford University.
E-Mail: steve@uk.ac.ox.earth. Tel: Oxford (0865) 282110.