- Oberon - mailman3.inf.ethz.ch

Labels on issues in https://gitlab.inf.ethz.ch .
by peter＠easthope.ca 02 Mar '25

02 Mar '25

Hi, I have a github account and can log in and read here. https://gitlab.inf.ethz.ch/felixf/oberon/-/issues How is a label such as Linux64 applied to an issue? Thx, ... P. -- VoIP: +1 604 670 0140 work: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:PeterEasthope

1 0

Assignment to value parameters of pointer or procedure type
by August Karlstrom 16 Feb '25

16 Feb '25

According to the Oberon-07 language reference from 2013-10-01 a scalar value parameter can be assigned to since it's just a local variable: "A value parameter corresponds to an actual parameter that is an expression, and it stands for its value, which cannot be changed by assignment. However, if a value parameter is of a scalar type, it represents a local variable to which the value of the actual expression is initially assigned." In the edition from 2015-03-18 "scalar type" was changed to "basic type": "A value parameter corresponds to an actual parameter that is an expression, and it stands for its value, which cannot be changed by assignment. However, if a value parameter is of a basic type, it represents a local variable to which the value of the actual expression is initially assigned." If I interpret this correctly a value parameters of pointer or procedure type cannot be assigned to. This procedure, for instance, is then invalid: PROCEDURE Length(t: List): INTEGER; VAR n: INTEGER; BEGIN n := 0; WHILE t # NIL DO INC(n); t := t.next END RETURN n END Length Instead we need to introduce an extra local variable to step through the list: PROCEDURE Length(t: List): INTEGER; VAR n: INTEGER; p: List; BEGIN n := 0; p := t; WHILE p # NIL DO INC(n); p := p.next END RETURN n END Length Does anyone know why "scalar type" was changed to "basic type". If my memory serves me correctly this has been discussed before but right now I cannot find the thread. /August

5 6

projectoberon.com is not active?
by Skulski, Wojciech 14 Feb '25

14 Feb '25

Hello: I noticed that www.projectoberon.com<http://www.projectoberon.com> has switched to www.projectoberon.net<http://www.projectoberon.net>. Was this intentional? Andreas' github page is still referencing ".com". Other documents are probably doing the same. The ".com" does not open any page. Wojtek

2 2

2 compilers that were new to me
by Liam Proven 13 Feb '25

13 Feb '25

These links were just posted on the Russian Telegram group. I try to watch what is going on but I don't really speak Russian so it's challenging! Cross-platform Free Oberon Compiler https://github.com/oberoncompiler/foc MultiOberon Compiler https://github.com/dvdagaev/Mob -- Liam Proven ~ Profile: https://about.me/liamproven Email: lproven(a)cix.co.uk ~ gMail/gTalk/FB: lproven(a)gmail.com Twitter/LinkedIn: lproven ~ Skype: liamproven IoM: (+44) 7624 227612: UK: (+44) 7939-087884 Czech [+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal]: (+420) 702-829-053

1 0

Conditional compilation using IF const THEN
by Chris Burrows 05 Feb '25

05 Feb '25

There was a discussion on this mailing list with this title back in 2018. Recently an Astrobe user requested this feature so we revisited the discussion. We are now in the process of final testing of an Astrobe implementation based on Jörg Straube's suggestion: https://lists.inf.ethz.ch/pipermail/oberon/2018/012137.html Elimination of unused code in this way is very useful when developing software for embedded systems. The development boards we support have as little as 64 KBytes available for code. Diagnostic code can be included when doing unit testing on separate modules but needs to be eliminated to enable all the modules to be linked together in an executable without exceeding the code space available. Having to edit source code e.g. to change the value of a test CONST from TRUE to FALSE in multiple modules can be tedious and error prone. A useful technique which allows the Astrobe programmer to switch between the test modules and the production application *without* editing any source code module is described in the *Conditional Compilation* topic of the Astobe Forum: https://www.astrobe.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4 -- Regards, Chris Burrows CFB Software https://www.astrobe.com

1 0

Re (2): GOTO
by peter＠easthope.ca 14 Jan '25

14 Jan '25

From: Chris Burrows <cfbsoftware(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2025 10:56:42 +1030 > We've been too busy having a lot of fun working on Oberon software and > releasing new versions of Astrobe to spend much time chatting here ;-) Good to hear. > https://xkcd.com/292/ > > But for a more serious observation (from 20 years ago!) refer to Section > 4.2. *The GO TO statement* in *Good Ideas, Through the Looking Glass*, > Niklaus Wirth, 2005: > > https://people.inf.ethz.ch/wirth/Articles/GoodIdeas_origFig.pdf Probably nobody here argues with prohibition of GOTO. I wondered whether someone might comment on techniques for the difficulties alluded to. https://lists.dyne.org/lurker/message/20241102.144628.9f84c05a.en.html (1) "... recursively wander around the incomplete LR automaton ..." I know about recursion. Automaton (abstract machine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_machine) was covered briefly in CS 220. LR = left-to-right. I don't catch meaning beyond that. (2) "... two independent sets of nested searches ..." I guess that means one loop inside another. Two loops not really independent. I imagine a flag or return value which the inner search sets or returns. After completion of the inner search, the outer loop branches according to the flag or return value. No particular difficulty? (3) "... Modula 3's exceptions ..." I haven't encountered Modula 3. I guess these exceptions don't exist in the other Oberon languages. A flag is declared where needed? Regards, ... P. -- VoIP: +1 604 670 0140 work: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:PeterEasthope

1 0

Re: [Oberon] GOTO
by Chris Burrows 13 Jan '25

13 Jan '25

On Mon, Jan 13, 2025 at 4:34 AM <peter(a)easthope.ca> wrote: > Hi, > > Happy New Year! The list has become very quiet. > We've been too busy having a lot of fun working on Oberon software and releasing new versions of Astrobe to spend much time chatting here ;-) At the beginning of last November I noticed a discussion of GOTO in > the DNG list. I don't have programming experience to make a > significant response. Some of you may be interested. > > I like xkcd's typical humorous comment on the subject: https://xkcd.com/292/ But for a more serious observation (from 20 years ago!) refer to Section 4.2. *The GO TO statement* in *Good Ideas, Through the Looking Glass*, Niklaus Wirth, 2005: https://people.inf.ethz.ch/wirth/Articles/GoodIdeas_origFig.pdf Regards, Chris -- Chris Burrows https://www.astrobe.com

1 0

GOTO
by peter＠easthope.ca 12 Jan '25

12 Jan '25

Hi, Happy New Year! The list has become very quiet. At the beginning of last November I noticed a discussion of GOTO in the DNG list. I don't have programming experience to make a significant response. Some of you may be interested. https://lists.dyne.org/lurker/message/20241102.144628.9f84c05a.en.html Subject: [DNG] GOTO considered beneficial Regards, ... P.L. -- VoIP: +1 604 670 0140 work: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:PeterEasthope

1 0

Review of FAQ.
by peter＠easthope.ca 10 Dec '24

10 Dec '24

Greetings for Mid-winter, This morning I linked some terms and added a sentence here. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Oberon/FAQ May be helpful to someone completely unfamiliar with Oberon. I'm among the least qualified to work on such explanations. If anyone has time to review and edit or offer feedback, good. Feedback here and in private email equally welcome. Thanks! ... P.L. -- VoIP: +1 604 670 0140 work: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:PeterEasthope

1 0

Version numbering in the A2 repository.
by peter＠easthope.ca 30 Nov '24

30 Nov '24

Hi, https://git-scm.com/docs/user-manual#exploring-git-history has this example. $ git bisect start $ git bisect good v2.6.18 A local copy of the A2 repository is here. To imitate the example, a version number is needed. Where can version numbers be found? Thanks, ... P.L. -- VoIP: +1 604 670 0140 work: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:PeterEasthope

1 0