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From: ags@pucc-i (Seaman)
Newsgroups: net.lang.mod2
Subject: Re: Pascal vs. Modula-2
Message-ID: <391@pucc-i>
Date: Thu, 9-Aug-84 10:57:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-i.391
Posted: Thu Aug  9 10:57:27 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Aug-84 00:22:13 EDT
References: <8600013@iuvax.UUCP> <385@pucc-i> <360@vu44.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 28

Jack Jensen, quoting my earlier article, says:

>> One example:  it was claimed that sets could not be 
>> larger than 16 bits (on 16-bit machines).  Apparently the author didn't know 
>> that you can declare set types other than BITSET.
>
>That's right, but "Programming in Modula-2" states (chapter 18):
>
>   .... In addition, implementations of Modula are allowed to set a
>   limit to the number og elements admissable in base types. THAT LIMIT
>   IS USUALLY THE WORDLENGTH OF THE COMPUTER USED ....
>
>(emphasis mine).
>So, although it isn't true that sets can never be bigger than 16 bits
>on a 16 bit machine, you should better beware that there is a very
> good chance that 16 members is the limit.

I was discussing the languages, not the implementations.  Need I point
out that implementations of Pascal can also set an upper limit, and that
the limit may be equal to, or even less than, the word length on the
machine?

The Volition Systems implementation of Modula-2 which I use allows sets 
with up to 512 elements.  The type BITSET allows 16 elements.
-- 

Dave Seaman			My hovercraft is no longer full of 
..!pur-ee!pucc-i:ags		eels (thanks to my confused cat).