Oppolzer - Informatik / Blog

Hello all,

I have a new and improved version of the Stanford PASCAL compiler, usable with
VM/370 R6. This is based on the 1982 McGill Version, which has the following
improvements over the 1979 version, which is now part of the VM package:

- set of char is possible

- const definitions of arrays and sets etc.

- other restrictions removed (for example external files with arbitrary
dd-names)

I also did some changes to the compiler in the last weeks:

- (. .) as another substitute for brackets

- pointer symbol like this: ->

- comments using PL/1 and C style like this: /* comment */

- break statement to terminate the innermost loop

- continue statement to start next iteration of innermost loop

- return statement to leave procedure or function

I plan to do further extensions to the compiler, for example:

- enable the code generation for 31 bit, and the pascal monitor, too, of course

- allow string constants with shorter length on assignment, padding to the right
with blanks

- allow static variables, local to procedures and functions

- port the compiler to MVS or z/OS (I have no MVS working at the moment, and I
would need some help on this)

- port the compiler to Windows or Linux - this is possible, because it generates
PCODE, and it is only (?) necessary to replace the PCODE-to-370-translator with
a PCODE-to-???-translator; the PCODE-to-370-translator is written in PASCAL,
too.

I would like it, if some of you, who have maybe still PASCAL sources, would run
tests with this compiler and send errors or maybe suggestions for improvements
back to me. I could send you a TAPE DUMP of the compiler binaries and some EXECs
and sample programs as an AWS tape, if you want (CMS minidisk). This is ca. 200
kB as a ZIP file, not much.

Please send me a note, if you want informations on this, of if you have
suggestions, or if you want to test the compiler.

Have a nice weekend

Bernd