POPLOG Version 14.2 [Common Lisp, Pop-11, Prolog SML, Motif, OpenLook]
This has recently been released by Integral Solutions Ltd. and is available
in the US and Canada from Computable Functions Inc. POPLOG V14 represented
a significant re-engineering of the system, and subsequent releases have
capitalised on this.
Within the constraints of explicit run-time typing and garbage collection,
POPLOG V14 aims to maximise compatibility with conventional languages,
primarily C, and particularly with respect to being able to use all
X-Windows code written in that language. Compatibility is ensured at the
POPLOG Virtual Machine level, and in the core language, POP-11. Pointers to
POPLOG objects can be passed directly across the interface; short integers
and floats need tag-stripping.
Data-structure compatibility between C and the other languages implemented
in the POPLOG environment, namely SML, Common Lisp and Prolog, depends on
the degree to which the language offers control of data structure internal
format to users - Common Lisp offers good control, Prolog and SML do not,
although capabilities can be imported into these languages within the
POPLOG inter-language interface.
Apart from exceptions imposed by the conventions of some manufacturers
(e.g. the global register in the MIPS machine requires compilation with the
-G0 option), C object code in general, and X-windows code in particular can
be incrementally linked into POPLOG.
Version 14.2 specific enhancements include:
* Support for OpenWindows 3.0
* More logical treatment of widgets etc. after sysfork is used.
* The XVED editor provides a window-per-buffer, scroll bar and menus,
bold,underline,italic,blink and colour for characters.
* Improved debuggers for POP-11 and Prolog
* In Prolog, enhancements to setof/3, findall/3, bagof/3.
* In Common Lisp, a PROFILE capability.
* Improved interface to the Unix ioctl call.
Robin Popplestone.
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