CBFalconer wrote:
Frank Heckenbach wrote:
in the course of cleaning up GPC, I plan to drop the following obsolete "features".
`--standard-pascal[-level-1]' (and the corresponding compiler directives). GPC has `--classic-pascal[-level-1]' now to distinguish it better from Extended Pascal (which also is a standard).
The syntax `type foo = procedure (Integer, Real)' (i.e., without parameter names).
If you have any objections against removing them, please respond soon.
I strongly disagree. The very words "standard Pascal" intrinsically reference ISO 7185, and "Extended Pascal" correlates directly with the verbiage in ISO 10206. Without these directives/flags the user is left groping about in the documentation to find the appropriate magic incantations for proper validation.
I personally compile everything against ISO 7185, barring good reason to use further extensions. I doubt that I am representative of the average user. However, the standards exist (praise Allah) so let's make it as easy as possible to use them.
I don't think typing `--standard-pascal' is any easier to use than `--classic-pascal' (in fact, it's even one letter more to type ;-). I'm also not sure whether someone new to GPC would guess `--standard-pascal' without looking in the manual (e.g., Invoking GPC -> GPC Options where the most common options are listed, including `--classic-pascal').
Just in case you misunderstood me here: I'm not going to remove the ISO 7185 support. I just want to remove one of the two equivalent switches to activate it.
You might remember last year's discussion in which Joe da Silva said, "This way, we are no longer (strongly) inferring that ISO-7185 is the only standard.", and I think I agree to that.
Frank