HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: peter@ferranti.com (peter da silva)
Subject: Re: GUIs Considered Harmful
Followup-To: alt.folklore.computers
Keywords: n
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 18:18:11 GMT

In article <5242@krafla.rhi.hi.is> einari@rhi.hi.is (Einar Indridason) writes:
> Once upon a time, there was a complete development environment with editor,
> compiler, linker and overlay manager.  It was called Turbo-Pascal version
> 3.00 from Borland for the PC machine.

Wimp!

How about a complete development environment, including source, editor,
compiler, and overlay manager, in less than 40K. I'm talking about Fig-Forth.
Apple-II, CP/M, Atari-800, Commodore-64, RSX-11, etc...

Now THAT's a real hacker's tool. Though it requires too much RAM... our
Polyforth system supported 3 users in 48K.

(waits for some oldtimer to bring up IBM 360/20s)
-- 
Peter da Silva                                               `-_-'
$ EDIT/TECO LOVE                                              'U` 
%TECO-W-OLDJOKE Not war?                        Have you hugged your wolf today?
Ferranti Intl. Ctls. Corp.      Sugar Land, TX  77487-5012       +1 713 274 5180
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:13519 comp.unix.misc:3478
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.unix.misc
Subject: Re: The need for an assembler (was: Favorite CPU)
Date: 3 Sep 92 09:27:52 GMT
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University

In article <jimf.715439665@centerline.com> jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost) writes:
>peter@ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug31.162630.23913@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>>> A very popular and recent piece of software is DR-DOS Version 6, which 
>>> is written in mostly assembler and runs on all of these, picking up options
>>> along the way in a seamless manner where applicable.
>
>>An operating system of that level (basicaly file system and monitor) is
>>inherently non-portable, so who cares?
>
>Actually DR-DOS is much more of a real OS than you think; it's
>multiuser and multitasking, not just another version of MS-DOS.  It's
>not bad as multiuser MS-DOS look-alikes go.

That's the multi-user kernal MU-DR-DOS, not DR-DOS itself.  Yes, that part
is quite buggy and premature; I generally use the one-user version which is
amazingly bug-free.  DR is committed to fixing MU, and actually takes bug
reports from developers and resellers (such as myself) that generate patched
versions sent individually to us (compare that to Microsoft: a new version
every 3.5 years lately, and no fixes :-( ), and when stable, mail
unrequested system updates to all registered users for free.  Impatient
people can call the BBS, and they use ZIP files which invariably windup
on SIMTEL20 and its mirrors within a few days.

cjl
From: grog@adagio.UUCP (Greg Lehey)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: You know when you're hacking too long when...
Keywords: hacking
Date: 25 Aug 92 16:40:36 GMT
Organization: LEMIS, Schellnhausen 2, W-6324 Feldatal, Germany

In article <1992Aug24.234448.148923@rrz.uni-koeln.de> aeg03@rrz.uni-koeln.de (Jan T. Kim) writes:
>In <BtI1s9.M4J@hatch.socal.com> richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg) writes:
>
>>. . . instead of phoning someone local (same company, same city) you
>>send email even when you know they have voicemail/answering machine.
>
>Well  --  either  you've  been  hacking  too  long  or  you  have
>answeringmachinophobia.

Or you understand something about relative priorities and have the
common decency to let him handle this particular issue in his own
time.
-- 
Greg Lehey                       | Tel: +49-6637-1488              
LEMIS                            | Fax: +49-6637-1489
Schellnhausen 2, W-6324 Feldatal, Germany
*** NOTE ***: Headers are mangled - reply to grog%lemis@Germany.EU.net
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: Is there a PDP-11 (or 8, or...) Emulator?
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 05:14:50 GMT

In article <1992Sep2.043415.12160@ultb.isc.rit.edu> bmb1021@ultb.isc.rit.edu (B.M. Buck ) writes:
>Is there a PDP-11 (or PDP-8, 10, 1, 6, etc) emulator available
>(perferrably for MS-DOS or similar varients)?  While recently reading a
>book on PDP-11 Assembly language, I wondered if it would be possible to
>try writing some code for the beasties.  Not having a PDP-11, or even
>knowing where to get one, I thought of emulation...
>
>Also suitable would be pointers on how to acquire one cheaply.

Post to comp.sys.dec.micro for one source,

send e-mail to pdp8-lovers-request@ai.mit.edu to get on the DEC old iron
mailing list mirror which is pdp8-lovers@ai.mit.edu  I would also like someone
to create the newsgroup alt.sys.pdp8 to be an expansion on the activities of
the mail mirror so we can reach a wider/different audience.  The activities
on this list are geared to all aspects of PDP-8 hardware and software, and
also all other similar vintage DEC machines.  (The PDP-10 and -11 people
may want to argue over which architecture is "second" on the list, but the
main point is that all are welcome, especially when discussing things like
peripherals, which tend to cross all hardware platforms, etc.)

I know of several PDP-8 emulators for PC's and MACs in various stages of
functionality.  At least one is intended to be a "real" emulator meaning that
the code will be written in assembler to maximize emulation speed, and
more importantly will be a "complete" emulation, not merely a CPU-only thing,
so that the actual system software will run on it.  Currently, there is a
C-based "model" for some of the code, and it crawls along at about 1/100th
the speed of a real PDP-8.  Using some assembler techniques, it is estimated
that an emulated speed of about 1/2 real PDP-8 is feasible.

Rumor has it that there be marketed soon a micro-style PDP-10 workstation
machine.  Anyone with info please elaborate.

cjl
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: samw@bucket.rain.com (Sam Warden)
Subject: Re: The need for an assembler
Organization: Rick's Home-Grown Un*x
Date: 23 Aug 92 17:51:44 GMT

A chainsaw is the only tool anyone will ever need.
No! A scalpel is the only tool anyone will ever need!
Is not!
Is so!
(fight ensues)

-- 
 
samw@bucket.rain.com (Sam Warden) -- and not a mere Device.
From: ivie@cc.usu.edu (CP/M lives!)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: DEC console support (was: Musical Peripherals
Date: 27 Aug 92 16:21:34 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Aug27.083019.28770@news.columbia.edu>, lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
> The PDP-8 and PDP-11 share a dubious trait:
> 
> They both have to support configurations where the console device could be
> anything from a model 33 teletype on up through a VT-4xx or whatever today
> with all stops along the way being supported (LA36, VT05, VT50, VT52, VT100,
> etc.).

Couldn't prove it by me. Since the MicroPDP-11, the PDP-11s have put my
VT52 in hold screen mode when trying to figure out what type of terminal it
was and left it there. It then treated the VT52 as if it were a hardcopy
terminal. Modern DEC machines support hardcopy terminals and VT100 and up
only.

If you don't mind power cycling your VT52 every time you turn the VAX on,
you can use it as the console of a MicroVAX or VAXstation _if_ you open it
up and install jumper W5 (? it's been a few years since I did it to all of
my VT52s) to change the factory-configured default parity setting. Without
that jumper, the VAX believes that all characters from the VT52 are 
multinational characters; the default parity of a VT52 sets bit 7.

Roger Ivie
ivie@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: bmarcum@world.std.com (Bill Marcum)
Subject: Re: On the care and feeding of GOTOS
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 01:06:36 GMT

In article <5235@tuegate.tue.nl> koen@blade.stack.urc.tue.nl (Koen Holtman) writes:
>
>Very few programmers document their code at all....
>
>But if they do:
>
>FILRR     BLWP @0       file not open, give up
>
>I would say `file not open' is the precondition of FILRR.
>
>ObFolklore: what assembly am I using?
>
Judging by the BLoWuP instruction, I would say it's TMS9900 (TI 99/4)
assembler.  But I only know that language from the old Osborne "Introduction
to Microprocessors" book.

Bill Marcum



Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: agc@bmdhh298.bnr.ca (Alan Carter)
Subject: Re: GOTOs
Organization: BNR-Europe-Limited, Maidenhead, England
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1992 10:49:18 GMT

In article <1992Sep3.055140.929@news.columbia.edu>, lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
|> In article <15232@umd5.umd.edu> malmberg@umsa8.umd.edu (Norwin Malmberg) writes:
[ Much omitted]
|> >IQTI400@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU (macphil) writes:
|> Yes, there are even people advocating structured COBOL :-(.
|> 
|> The same crap all over again.  Instead of a nice simple clean efficient
|> routine, you have clumsy confusing inefficient code, which you can mindlessly
|> read in small sections, because someone decided that's "better" :-(.

Or there is the C version:

communicate()
{
from_the_top:

   if(!init_rs232()) goto from_the_top;

   if(!init_modem()) goto from_the_top;

   if(!dial_number()) goto from_the_top;

   if(!log_on()) goto from_the_top;

   if(!do_the_business()) goto from_the_top;
}

This kind of thing is a pig to do with cutesy structured loops, 
and trying to do it that way makes the danger of introducing bugs 
much greater. Religious zealots tend to forget that gotos are deprecated
because they tend to encourage complexity, leading to bugs that stop our
programs working. No other reason. Where they encourage simplicity they
help our programs work properly, quickly and are OK.

   Alan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Maidenhead itself is too snobby to be pleasant. It is the haunt of the
   river swell and his overdressed female companion. It is the town of showy
   hotels, patronized chiefly by dudes and ballet girls. 

   Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome, 1889
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: The need for an assembler (was: Favori
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 07:34:40 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.203610.20593@ttinews.tti.com> hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath) writes:
>In article <1992Aug19.183629.6213@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>
>}My point is that after a reasonable effort to understand an architecture, the
>}typical *good* assembly programmer knows how to write the best possible code
>}for a majority of common program details.  Overall algorithms might yield to
>}better ones, but I am referring to essentially the best hand method to code
>}a particular well-focused procedure.  Such code becomes essentially "second
>}nature" to a good assembly programmer, and thus the code is "correct" the
>}first time.  At least in the sense that the majority of it isn't a candidate
>}for rewriting for any reason related to technique per se.
>
>And, once you've figured out these "best" methods for basic procedures,
>you program them into a compiler so even ignorant hll programmers can
>use them.

That presupposes that they can be translated, which isn't always the case.

cjl
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: vinnie@bnr.ca (Vincente DIngianni)
Subject: Re: Apple /// (and MANY other computers)
Followup-To: vinnie@bnr.ca
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Richardson, Tx.
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1992 14:18:31 GMT



Does anyone have an APF Imagination Machine?  6800 processor, 6847 video
display generator, 8K RAM.

Was I the only person stupid enough to buy one of these way back when...

Please email me with your story.


Vincente D'Ingianni, II
vinnie@bnr.ca

-- 
Vincente D'Ingianni, II    Bell-Northern Research, Richardson, TX, USA
MTX Software Design        PH: 214-684-1031, ESN: 446-1031, vinnie@bnr.ca


Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:13539 comp.unix.misc:3486
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.unix.misc
Subject: Re: The need for an assembler (was: Favorite CPU)
From: alanb@sdl.mdcbbs.com (Alan Braggins)
Date: 03 Sep 92 15:32:41 GMT
 umbia.edu> <id.HLVS.5DJ@ferranti.com><1992Sep3.090347.21766@news.columbia.edu>
Organization: Shape Data (Division of EDS), Cambridge UK
In-reply-to: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu's message of Thu, 3 Sep 1992 09:03:47 GMT

>>>>> On Thu, 3 Sep 1992 09:03:47 GMT, lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) said:

> Before C existed, no one "ported" anything; we merely had language specs and
> various levels of compatibility, hopefully of the kind of either it worked or
> the feature was lacking and you got error messages.

Hmm, I guess I must be imagining most of this Fortran I have to deal with...
actually, most of it was written after C existed, but the statement above
is clearly incorrect.
--
Alan Braggins, Shape Data (A Division of EDS Ltd), Cambridge, UK +44-223-316673
   "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."
 "My employer does not necessarily share my views - but I'm working on it."
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: dave@metapro.DIALix.oz.au (David Eddy)
Subject: Re: You know when you're hacking too long when...
Organization: MetaPro Systems, Perth, Western Australia
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 03:37:38 GMT

All this talk of Whoppers etc. reminds me of a variation popular
here in Oz with some people -- the "Slopper".  It's a whopper with
double or triple sauces (i.e. mayo and ketchup)

Lives up to its name.

--
David Eddy, Metapro Systems Pty Ltd. -- dave@metapro.DIALix.oz.au
#include <std/disclaimer.h>
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:13554 comp.windows.misc:1313 comp.windows.x:16117 comp.human-factors:2042
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.windows.misc,comp.windows.x,comp.human-factors
Subject: Re: GUIs Considered Harmful
From: abercrombie@mdcbbs.com (Phil Abercrombie)
Date: 3 Sep 92 12:40:21 PDT
Reply-To: abercrombie@mdcbbs.com
Organization: M&E (Division of EDS), Cypress CA
In-reply-to: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org's message of 2 Sep 92 05:07:35 GMT


>>>>> On 2 Sep 92 05:07:35 GMT, peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce) said:

> In article <1992Sep1.185034.26473@nntp.uoregon.edu> (alt.religion.computers,comp.windows.misc,comp.windows.news,comp.windows.x,comp.human-factors), johnm@cajal.uoregon.edu (John Martin) writes:
> In article <1992Aug31.145609.17818@dcatlas.dot.gov>, joet@dcatlas.dot.gov (Joe Trott) writes:
> 
> >Whose desk is clean enough, 100% (or close) of the time in order to use a
> >Rat?
> 
> Not mine, ever. I always have to shift piles of stuff around just to move
> the rodent to a button and click!!

> I don't know.  I have about as messy a desk as anyone can have.  I
> have a little mouse pad (about 7 x 8) and even most of that is often
> covered up with clutter.

> I do keep the mouse "turned up", meaning that a little wrist movement
> gives me a lot of mouse movement on screen.  The faster you flick
> the mouse, the faster it moves around the screen.  One quick, though
> very small, flick will move it all the way across the screen.  I also
> automatically will move the mouse, pick it up, then move it again,
> though I only noticed this after looking at how I actually use the mouse.

I remember that the mouse shipped with the Whitechapel Workstation had
a very heavy metal ball which turned with little friction.  You could
flick the mouse against the desktop to get the ball spinning, and then
lift it away - the ball would continue spinning and the pointer would
continue to move across the screen. Without much practice you could
learn to send the pointer accurately from one corner of the screen to
the other with a flick of the wrist, and have it stop in more-or-less
exactly the right place.

These days mice seem to be constructed such that if you lift them from
the desk the ball will stop turning. 
--
Phil Abercrombie       | Living in another country |    _~o _O   | BIKE TO
abercrombie@mdcbbs.com | Under another name        |   -\<,-\<,  | WORK   
                       |                           | (*)/===/(*) |  
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue,  1 Sep 1992 13:16:12 -0400 
From: Pat_Barron@transarc.com
Subject: Re: Coke machine at CMU
	<phil.715327172@adam.adelaide.edu.au>

It used to be that "finger coke@cmua" used to tell you which of the
slots in the CS department's Coke machine had any coke in it, and
whether or not it was likely to be cold (if not, it would tell you how
long it had been since the slot was filled up).  I believe the Coke
machine had a 3-megabit Ethernet interface (this was a *really* long
time ago....).

--Pat.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: john@mullet.gu.uwa.edu.au (John West)
Subject: Re: Computers killing people? (WAS Re: 9 track data storage???)
Organization: University Computer Club --- Perth, Western Australia
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1992 02:57:22 GMT

rupert@europa.inmos.co.uk (Rupert Pigott (PFUE)) writes:

<that bloody virus through the printer story>
>Someone mentioned this rumour to me sometime ago... I assume that if such
>a thing ever existed it either triggered some code in the PC's OS/BIOS, OR
>by some strange turn of events the PC suddenly decided to download a binary
>from the printer port and execute it... This leads me to two conclusions,
>either:
>  a) Someone is lying/exagerating
>  b) Someone has put a big security headache into the PC system software...
   c) NOBODY MENTIONED PCs!!!

It IS possible, if you open your mind to the possibility of (dare I suggest 
it?) OTHER types of computers. If your printer is on an ethernet or some
such thing, it could quite easily introduce fake packets - and if the machines
it is attached are suitably set up, it could sneak in through sendmail or some
other hole. Of course, you'd have to know the setup pretty well (the US 
probably set it up for them - the Iraqi's used to be the good guys, didn't
they?)
Then, of course, is the fact that it never happened. It *is* possible, but 
it didn't happen. Sorry. I'm starting to sound like a.f.u on a bad day. I'll
stop now.

John West
-- 
For the humour impaired: Insert a :-) after every third word
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: bmarcum@world.std.com (Bill Marcum)
Subject: Re: You know when you're hacking too long when...
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 23:57:46 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.231955.25305@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>In article <a=anyyn@lynx.unm.edu> quirk@pioneer.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:
>
>>
>>Come to think of it, It's probably some marketoid's miscalculation.
>>He included the bun in the list of ingredients (making a total of 10)
>>and forgot to consider the consequences of *not* having a bun.
>>(Shades of Bloom County - "Chocolate Shake...Hold the cup!")
One of the fast food chains, I think it was Wendy's, used to offer a multi-
grain bun as an option instead of the usual white-bread bun.  I don't know
if they still do.

Bill Marcum  bmarcum@world.std.com
From: jarnot@kin.lap.upenn.edu (Kevin J. Jarnot)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Coke machine at CMU
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:48:29 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania, Language Analysis Center

I have recently heard of a Coke machine at CMU that is connected to the 
Internet.  Anyone have the whole story???

Kevin


-- 
Kevin J. Jarnot (jarnot@kin.lap.upenn.edu)      |  
Lead Programmer/Analyst/Keyboardist             | "The monkey-boys are evil -
Univ. of Pennsylvania Language Analysis Center  |  Lord Whorfin is supreme..."
3700 Market St, Suite 202  Phila, PA 19104      | 
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: aduell@nyx.cs.du.edu (Tony Duell)
Subject: Antique Micro's (Was Re: Apple ///)
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 19:08:38 GMT


Yes, there are other madmen who collect micro's ! :-)
I have most of the classics (Apple 2, Apple 2e, Pet (unfortunately, it's an
8032SK, not the real classic 2001), TRS-80 model 1 and 3, etc).
I also have some slightly more obscure machines - the Exidy Sorceror, 
HH Tiger (Z80 and 68B09, with NEC 7220 graphics chip), FTS-88 (8088
CP/M-86 box, with 8" floppies, IEEE-488 port, 5 serials, etc), Tatung
Einstein (z80, 64K ram, TI graphics chip, Runs Xtal-DOS , a CP/M
lookalike), Sage 2 (68000, 512K ram, IEEE488, etc), Newbrain (z80 laptop,
with 1-line display, TV/monitor output, and not much else), Tandy 100,
TRS-80 coco2 and CoCO3 (6809 boxes running OS-9), Genuine IBM XT, Casu
Super C (z80 S100 box), Acorn series 5 (6809 rack system, 56K ram in
2114's, Flex-09, 2 80 trk drives), Jupiter Ace (like a Timex/sinclair, but
with Forth in ROM), etc. Etc.
I still prefer the Mini's though - PDP11's are much more fun than PC's.
But I'll carry on collectin the micro;s too. They are part of the history
of computing, and must be preserved :-)
-tony

Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:13482 comp.unix.misc:3466
From: carl@syscon.rn.com (Carl Kreider)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.unix.misc
Subject: Re: The need for an assembler (was: Favorite CPU)
Date: 2 Sep 92 13:31:30 GMT
Organization: Syscon Corporate Headquarters - South Bend, IN USA

lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:

>Thanks for putting all of your broken eggs in one basket; I replied to all
>of them above.  Restating the points doesn't change them.  You can't draw
>conclusions from points presented and refuted.

Perhaps that would be true had they been refuted rather than ignored.

>Interesting, since the MS-DOS versions most closely resemble the VMS ones; the
>actual source of much of the incompatibilities seems to be elsewhere; I suggest
>you ask the maintainers of the programs I mentioned as to their gripes with
>which incompatibilities in which systems are eating up their time.  You won't
>find MS-DOS/DR-DOS to be where their gripes are.

I certainly find their gripes there.
-- 
Carl Kreider       Usenet    uunet!rde!gator!syscon!carl
CIS  71076,76      Internet  carl@syscon.rn.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: andy@research.canon.oz.au (Andy Newman)
Subject: Re: Indentation
Organization: Canon Information Systems Research Australia
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 01:38:59 GMT

reeuwijk@dutentb.et.tudelft.nl (C. van Reeuwijk) writes:
>Nevertheless there are two problems with layout-dependent semantics
>1. The language may enforce a certain layout style that may be
>   illogical or ugly to some users. Remember that many of the different
>   layout styles for C have fanatic advocates.
>2. It potentially allows for coding errors through incorrect layout.

When I was programming in occam problem 2 was v.common. The Inmos occam
compiler didn't help a great deal either. The only enjoyable thing
that arose from bad-layout bugs was the compiler's treatment of badly
formatted occam functions. In occam the RESULT keyword is used to
return the result of the function. The function is split into a
computation part (VALOF) and the return part (RESULT). The RESULT
keyword has to line up properly. I often got the indentation wrong and
the compiler would spit out the very clear message

	'Expected RESULT. Found RESULT'.

Great!
-- 
Andy Newman (andy@research.canon.oz.au)		"int - God's own type"