Release Notes for C-INTERCAL DISCREDITS This package is an implementation of the language INTERCAL designed by Don Woods and James Lyon, who have since spent more than twenty years trying to live it down. This implementation was created by Eric S. Raymond during a fit of lunacy from which he has since mostly recovered. It has been considerably hacked upon and improved by Steve Swales, Michael Ernst, Louis Howell, Brian Raiter, and others. For detailed credits see NEWS. FILES The compiler itself is in the src directory. Setting a symbol in the makefile will allow you to install it and its libraries and support files in a directory of your choice. The doc directory contains (surprise!) documentation, and pit contains various examples of INTERCAL source code, writhing in agony. The files included are: READ.ME -- this file BUGS -- current bug and to-do list NEWS -- info on features and fixes new in this release intercal.el -- elisp for editing INTERCAL code under GNU Emacs doc/READ.ME -- historical notes on the docs doc/intercal.mm -- the manual in groffable form doc/THEORY -- some notes on the internals of the INTERCAL compiler src/Makefile -- makefile for the INTERCAL compiler src/lexer.l -- the lexical analyzer specification (in LEX) src/ick.y -- the grammar specification (in YACC) src/ick.h -- compilation types and defines src/perpetrate.c -- main routine for compiler src/feh.c -- INTERCAL-to-C code generator src/feh.h -- interface to INTERCAL-to-C code generator src/fiddle.c -- the INTERCAL operators src/lose.[ch] -- INTERCAL compile- and run-time error handling src/ick-wrap.c -- the driver for generated C-from-INTERCAL code src/arrgghh.c -- option argument parsing for generated programs src/abcess.h -- interface to functions linked with programs src/cesspool.c -- the INTERCAL runtime support code src/numerals.c -- numerals table for INTERCAL input src/sizes.h -- variables defining the numeric base pit/* -- sample INTERCAL code; see pit/CATALOG HOW TO GET STARTED You want a man page? Man pages are for wimps. To compile an INTERCAL program `foo.i' to executable code, just do ick foo.i There's a -c option that leaves the generated `foo.c' in place for inspection (suppressing compilation to machine code), a -d option that enables verbose parse reporting from the yacc/bison parser, a -t option that requires strict INTERCAL-72 compliance (rejecting COME FROM and the extensions for bases other than two), a -b option that disables the INTERCAL-72 random-bug feature, and an -O option that enables the (hah!) optimizer. Invoking ick -? prints a usage message. Other than that, yer on yer own. Another switch affects C-INTERCAL's runtime behavior. The `-C' option forces output in "clockface" mode, for superstitious users who believe writing "IV" upside-down offends IVPITER and would rather see IIII. Every INTERCAL runtime also accepts certain options at runtime (code by Steve Swales). These include [+/-]help, [+/-]traditional, and [+/-]wimpmode. The help option (with either + or -) triggers a 'usage' message. The +traditional option is presently a no-op. Steve writes: "The wimpmode option is the most interesting. I found myself always running my test programs with filters on both ends to work around the 'nifty' INTERCAL number representations. This was so painful that I decided it would be LESS painful (and a lot less code) if I added a 'wimp' option. With the +wimpmode option, the user is subjected to a humiliating message about what a wimp he or she is to use this mode, but after that is allowed to use conventional numerical notation. While such a mode doubtless violates to some extent the INTERCAL philosophy, the fact that a 'unbutcher' command has been posted clearly indicates the need for it. Anyway... if you don't like it, don't use it... the default is -wimpmode (i.e. NOT wimp mode)." SPREADING THE BLAME There is an INTERCAL Resource Page at http://www.ccil.org/intercal The latest version of INTERCAL is also kept available at the Retrocomputing Museun, http://www.ccil.org/retro. There is, in addition, an occasionally active USENET newsgroup devoted to the language: alt.lang.intercal. NOTES ON THE LINUX BUILD At the top of ick.h are two defines that you may need to remove if you are using lex instead of flex. Many lexes export a yylineno variable, an undocumented feature that is not in flex (by default). If your build fails because of redecleration of yylineno, comment out the define of YYLINENO_BY_HAND. Some lexes also supply a yyrestart function to begin parsing a second file, while others automatically restart after seeing an EOF. (This is the case with flex.) If your build fails at link time because yyrestart is not defined, comment out the define of USE_YYRESTART. If you are using gcc in an non-ANSI environment, such as SunOS, it is strongly recommended that you add "-Wno-unused -Wimplicit" to the gcc command in the makefile. If you are in an ANSI environment and are using the current versions of gcc, flex, and bison, C-INTERCAL should build with no warnings. LICENSING C-INTERCAL is now distributed under the General Public License, except for the C skeleton file which is explicitly *not* GPLed in order to avoid the (possibly mythical) "license virus" effect. See the file COPYING for details on the General Public License.