Message-Id: <9302092120.AA05247@sc.zib-berlin.dbp.de>
Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Date:         Tue, 9 Feb 93 22:11:27 CET
From: Frank Mittelbach <MITTELBACH@MZDMZA.ZDV.UNI-MAINZ.DE>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
To: Multiple Recipients of <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Subject:      Re: web2c on what platforms
Status: R


Jon asked:

> Can I ask a question regarding the C or PASCAL controversy about
> makeindex?  The existence of WEB-2-C has been cited as a reason for
> continuing to develop in PASCAL WEB. On how many platforms has WEB-2-C
> been implemented? In other words, is there anywhere but UNIX that one
> can successfully use WEB-2-C to translate tex.web to C, compile it,
> and have it pass trip?

I think this is an interesting question in itself and would be
interested in seeing an answer to it but in my understanding it would
affect the argumentation. See below.

> If WEB-2-C exists only on UNIX platforms, while
> CWEB and FWEB work on a variety of platforms, then it seems
> advantageous to use C, thus allowing developers to avoid many of the
> kludges Knuth was required to put into TeX and friends to overcome
> PASCAL's limitations.

It may be true that, when we would try to re-implement the whole TeX
system with all its utility programs (as NTS may one day might try to
do, but please don't start an NTS discussion on this list) then one
definitely should think about the base language first, eg WEB, CWEB,
C, C++, smalltalk, .....who knows?

But then who cares now since we are not trying to do this. And given,
that on *any* plattform on which TeX runs, there must be a possibility
to handle WEB, it helps a lot to make use of this fact. And enough
people have outlined the advantages so that I don't need to repeat
this. If you use different languages than you have additional
maintenance or money problems.

Frank