Path: news.daimi.aau.dk!olm
From: olm@daimi.aau.dk (Ole Lehrmann Madsen)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.beta
Subject: Re: Language Definition Standard?
Date: 8 Dec 1994 07:19:40 GMT
Organization: DAIMI, Computer Science Dept. at Aarhus University
Lines: 56
Message-ID: <3c6c2c$16i@belfort.daimi.aau.dk>
References: <3agc0q$931@solaria.cc.gatech.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: clematis.daimi.aau.dk

Thus spake mcgraw@cc.gatech.edu (Lee McGraw):

>A few weeks or months ago, I heard that an Offical BETA language standard document
>was being written by the language designers.
>What is the current status of this document or documents?  And why wasn't BETA
>designed before it was implemented?
>Any assistance and information appreciated.

>---
>					
Sorry for the late answer, but this article did not seem to appear
on my newsreader in the US.

We are currently working on a language definition/reference manual
for BETA to supplement the tutorial presentation in the BETA book.
Unfortunately it is not possible to say when this document
will be ready, but we will post a message as soon as it becomes
available.

Of course BETA was designed before it was implemented.
There is a number of working notes defining various versions
of the language. The BETA book has referenes to some of these documents.
In addition a number of articles describing various aspects of
the language exists. Again the BETA book includes references.

The first compiler for BETA was implemented in 1983.
Based on the experience with this implementation, the language
was revised and a new compiler was implemented in the Mjolner project.
Since then a number of changes have been made to the language and its
compiler. The current defintion of BETA has been stable for
some time.
In this period there has been a draft of a reference manual
which has been updated regularly.
It has, however, never been in a stage where it could be released.
As said above, we hope to complete it soon!

If you or anybody else have questions about BETA for which you dont
find answers in the BETA book, please post the questions here
or send e-mail to

	support@mjolner.dk

or directly to me: ole.madsen@eng.sun.com (I am currently on sabbatical
at Sun Labs., Mountain View.)


---olm

> --------------------------------------------------------
> |                        |                             |
> |                        |    It's always somethin'    |
> |-Lee McGraw             |          Rosanne Rosanadana |
> | (mcgraw@cc.gatech.edu) |                             |
> |                        |                             |
> --------------------------------------------------------