Re: Porting TADS


10 Oct 1995 21:44:27 GMT

In article <19951010.210000.43@arnod.arnod.demon.co.uk>,
Julian Arnold <jools@arnod.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>John Holder (jholder@nmsu.edu) wrote:
>
>> Thus spake \"Frank Bidwell\ (fhb):
>> ] noone said anything about a port fo AlphaStations running OSF/1 or digital
>> ] unix.
>>
>> Unfortunately, I made this offer a year or so ago and was turned down. I am
>> even a registered user... So, now I use Inform, since it runs on my
>> Alpha.

Given what I know about the policy, I don't understand why you'd be refused
for an Alpha port. I just took the Unix sources and compiled them on an
Alpha yesterday, after I read Frank's note. (I confess I'm stumped now,
though, because the program spews unaligned access messages and won't give
me a breakpoint in dbx.)

>Now a couple of people have implied this isn't the case. Rather, people are
>not being given the go-ahead to port TADS or update existing ports for
>"minor" systems (ie, non-IBM or non-Mac). I haven't been able to contact
>Mike Roberts to ask him directly.

Some people have been declined because two or three others were already
doing ports --- this was the case with the Amiga port that never really
endured. Others have been given a negative because their machines weren't
powerful enough; the IIGS is the only one I know of in this category.

But most Unix machines should be no-sweat ports. Until now I've heard
nothing about people being declined for any Unix ports. These are easy for
Mike because I can usually send the person who wants to do the port the
source via the Internet.

>I hope I haven't offended anyone. Please bear in mind that I have no idea
>which (if either) of the above scenarios is correct. I have no wish to
>"bad-mouth" TADS, but if the second scenario is how it works, then I think I
>should mention this in the FAQ.

All I know is the stated policy, and that several people besides me have
had no trouble getting the source to do ports. (I didn't do the NeXT port,
Linux port, Amiga port, or work on the OS/2 port, for example.)

Dave Baggett
__
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