[Info-vax] VAX Macro to C conversion

[Ben Lambert]

On Sunday, 23 June 2019 20:27:41 UTC-7, Michael Moroney  wrote:
> "Robert A. Brooks"  writes:
> 
> >On 6/23/2019 10:35 PM,  wrote:
> 
> >> Just wondering what you folks know of this tool, or even others that might be
> >> worth our looking at.
> 
> >Never heard of the tool.
> 
> >How much carnal knowledge of the calling standard does your code have?
> 
> >We (VSI VMS engineering) have MACRO code that we know would pretty much be 
> >impossible to port to any other language (I'm thinking of the host-based 
> >shadowing driver).  It would need to be a complete rewrite.
> 
> Watch your language! Sh*d*w*ng is a 4 letter word! There may be children reading
> this!  I need garlic, crosses and a wooden stake now! And daylight!! And a silver
> bullet! Oh wait, that's for Bliss-32 code, isn't it.
> 
> And besides, without sh*d*w*ng in Macro, how will John Reagan test versions
> of the macro compiler to insane limits?
> 
> Seriously, I have not heard of any automated Macro to anything else translater.
> In addition to VMS Engineering usefulness, it could have been useful at my last
> line of work, which involved modernization of one or two hundred thousand lines 
> of VAX Macro code (not counting the data*), some of which was itself generated by
> a PDP-11 Macro-11 to VAX Macro-32 converter).
> 
> (*) yes that is correct. Some of the data was generated in the form of Macro calls
> with parameters, assembled/compiled with Macro-32, $ LINKed/NOHEADER into binary
> files which were used as data by the main monster. These data files changed anywhere
> from weekly to almost never.

For those that are intrigued, info on the product in question can be found here:

http://www.xtran-llc.com/xtran.html#reengrg

Including examples of VAX MACRO to C here:

http://www.xtran-llc.com/vxmcee.html