[Info-vax] DCL Integer Overflow

[mcleanjoh at gmail.com]

On Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 12:51:22 AM UTC+10, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2017-06-30 09:06:16 +0000, GerMarsh said:
> 
> > I wonder if someone will fix the old integer overflow which has been 
> > there since the year dot...
> 
> As you're aware, DCL uses signed 32-bit integers on a two's complement 
> machine.   What you've showed is what happens.  Changing that involves 
> adding support for unsigned integers or switching to 64-bit integers or 
> other extended-precision.  Adding a 32-bit unsigned type adds one bit, 
> and probably not worth the effort of the changes in isolation), and 
> will require syntax hackery and will break some code.    Short of 
> adding 64-bit support or other substantial changes, probably the only 
> improvement in the existing context is issuing an overflow error here, 
> and that'd undoubtedly break some existing code.  Adding 64-bit support 
> — without some ugly compatibility syntax hackery and/or without 
> incurring a conversion or migration to a new DCL64 interpreter — will 
> also break some existing DCL code, so...   Whatever happens breaks 
> (some) code.   If (some) code is to be broken, then it's incumbent to 
> move forward far enough to really warrant the migration effort 
> involved; to not putter around the edges of DCL and not add anything 
> interesting and necessary and worth using.  Make it worth the effort of 
> migrating.
> 
> -- 
> Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC

>From the June 2017 VMS Roadmap, under "Research Areas" (slide 3) ...

"Additional Scripting Languages"

I guess we'll learn more the track but maybe it will incorporate 64-bit integers and all the associated changes that this would require (e.g. lexical functions overlaying system services).