Libraries - ISAM

[Paul Richards]

Are there any Modula-2 libraries which provide functions supporting ISAM
(indexed sequential) files? Also, any that provide screen painting
facilities (for 'DOS' command windows not MS Windows.)?

Thanks

Paul

[Fruttenboel]

I created VGALIB3 for FST modula-2 in DOS (or DOSbox).
https://fruttenboel.verhoeven272.nl/modula-2/vgalib3.html

Go to https://fruttenboel.verhoeven272.nl/modula-2/ and use the navigator to VGAlib3

I created an X-11 module for Linux.
https://fruttenboel.verhoeven272.nl/mocka/index.html and select X11-graphics

[Fruttenboel]

I used my X11 module for my Mandelbrot miner which dives deeper into the mandelbrot curves than the Mariana-trough.
https://fruttenboel.verhoeven272.nl/mocka/mandel.html

[Chris Burrows]

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 3:51:03 PM UTC+10:30, Paul Richards wrote:
> Are there any Modula-2 libraries which provide functions supporting ISAM
> (indexed sequential) files?

Try searching for the company PMI and the products ModBase and Repertoire. Archives of the following page are accessible via the Wayback Machine:

http://www.dct.com/~johnm/Pmi.html

Peter Moylan's Modula-2 pages are a good source of information about this sort of stuff:

http://www.pmoylan.org/pages/m2/Modula2.html

[Paul Richards]

Chris

That first link appears to be dead. I manage to download Repertoire a
week or so ago but, after managing to get a readable .IMG file, there
were no .MOD files.

I've also checked out Moylan's ages. I've got lots of libraries for
collections etc but I can't find any for ISAM files.

Paul

[Paul Richards]

I see the VGALIB is for FST. I don't use this compiler and I don't think
my knowledge of Modula-2 is sufficient yet to consider porting it to
another compiler.

Thanks

[Fruttenboel]

FST is 100% PIM. I added some inline assembler because DOS did not cover graphics and neither did Modula-2.

FST development halted 26 years ago just like all other modula's. Only obc is actively maintained nowadays.

Using the source of VGAlib3.imp you should be able to come along quite well. When I started VGAlib there was nothing. Just break down the tasks into MODULEs and then tackle each module. One condition: your new compiler ought to have some kind of inline assembler.

[Chris Burrows]

On Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 10:39:30 AM UTC+10:30, Paul Richards wrote:
> On 21/01/2021 9:36 am, Chris Burrows wrote:
> > On Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 3:51:03 PM UTC+10:30, Paul Richards wrote:
> >> Are there any Modula-2 libraries which provide functions supporting ISAM
> >> (indexed sequential) files?
> >
> > Try searching for the company PMI and the products ModBase and Repertoire. Archives of the following page are accessible via the Wayback Machine:
> >
> > http://www.dct.com/~johnm/Pmi.html
> >
> > Peter Moylan's Modula-2 pages are a good source of information about this sort of stuff:
> >
> > http://www.pmoylan.org/pages/m2/Modula2.html
> >
> Chris
>
> That first link appears to be dead.

That is correct. As I stated: "Archives of the following page are accessible via the Wayback Machine"

The 'Wayback Machine" is very useful to view webpages that are dead and gone. You can find it at:

https://archive.org/web/

When you get there, enter a URL e.g. http://www.dct.com/~johnm/Pmi.html and it will show you the number of times and the dates that webpage was archived.

Many of the snapshots are 'wild goose chases' but the snapshot taken on April 28th 1999, for example, returns a page with information on it. Unfortunately, download links that are ftp sites on that page lead to nowhere. However, I have found in the past that knowledge / keywords gained in this way can often lead to an ftp archive or mirror elsewhere which is still accessible.

Happy hunting!
Chris

[Paul Richards]

Thanks Chris but http://www.dct.com/~johnm/Pmi.html gives 'web site not
found'. I tried searches form pmi, dct, pmi.org and dct.com but no luck.
I have used archive.org quite a lot in the past, usually for finding
some 'long dead' software. Thanks for trying though.

Paul

[Martin Brown]

This archive has the links but the ftp server with the code no longer
exists.

https://web.archive.org/web/19990424171133/http://www.dct.com/~johnm/Pmi.html

Try looking for Peter Moylans (sp?) old M2 stuff there might be
something useful there...

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Paul Richards]

Thanks Martin but I've been to the archive, Moylan's pages and umpteen
ftp consolidation sites. I've concluded that there are no copies of the
software anywhere.

Paul

[Martin Brown]

Closest I can recall to what you are asking for is this site:

https://www.pcorner.com/list/MODULA

I expect you already know of it though and DBase is a bit long in the
tooth now and insufficient for your needs.

If you do ever find it please post!

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Fruttenboel]

You'll have to write your own then.
This topic took so long trying to 'borrow' some one else's code that it would have been faster writing our own.

[Martin Brown]

While we are at it does anyone know if the (expensive) Springer series
of 4 volumes "The Modula-2 Software Component Library: Volume N" by
Charles Lins has anything to recommend it at all?

The lack of any description of the contents beyond "invaluable" and no
preview of the contents page or index makes me very suspicious.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?field-author=Charles+Lins

I haven't heard of him and none of them have any reviews...

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[oligun...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, 2 February 2021 at 12:03:03 UTC, Martin Brown wrote:

> While we are at it does anyone know if the (expensive) Springer series
> of 4 volumes "The Modula-2 Software Component Library: Volume N" by
> Charles Lins has anything to recommend it at all?
>
> The lack of any description of the contents beyond "invaluable" and no
> preview of the contents page or index makes me very suspicious.
>
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?field-author=Charles+Lins
>
> I haven't heard of him and none of them have any reviews...
>
> --
> Regards,
> Martin Brown

Yes, superb set of books but very outdated and Mac oriented, the author Charles Lins is now known as Cheryl Lins and runs the Delaware Phoenix distillery in New York state, USA.

http://www.cheryllins.com/

Lins headed the Modula-2 an Oberon dev effort inside Apple Corp. for years, the books represent the only thing that was published outside of Apple, the in house developed M2 and Oberon-2 compilers were never released for outside use. But Lins did publish a small number of papers in addition to the books, for example see:
https://dlnext.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/382076.382642

The libraries never gained any traction because of the very restrictive licencing requirements Apple placed on them

Some of the libraries in the books are contained in Gunter Müller's collection of Modula-2 libraries on github, but be aware that they are Apple IP, and that the egregious licencing restrictions still apply.
https://github.com/GunterMueller/Modula-2_Libraries

[Paul Richards]

Martin

Yes, I'm familiar with Programmer's Corner. Used it many times in the past.

Paul