[Oberon] 'libraries' mangement ..etc ?

[Bob Walkden]

> > Jan & John mentioned RFC2396.Mod.
> > 
> > The name will be obsolete when the IETF publishes a new RFC 
> for URIs.  
> > What about URI.Mod?  Maybe there is a better place to put the 
> > procedures in an existing module.
> > Do you have a preference Pieter?  Anyone? 
> 
> Since the applications of Oberon-S3 are apparently students'
> projects, it is appropriate for each student to write his own 
> eg. [version of] Char2Hex procedure.
> 
> So we may have many [redundant] procedures loaded at any time.
> 
> How is this situation handled in 'proper' systems; eg. linux kernel ?
> In 'industry' don't they have a library catalogue, where the 
> existing procedures are re-used ?

in my experience of industry, the answer is a qualified No. It depends on
the size of the procedure, but typically something like Char2Hex would be
written from scratch every time. This happens for one or more of several
reasons, including:

1. the programmer doesn't know about the library routine and can't be
bothered to find out
2. the programmer wants to do his own version
3. the requirement is fractionally different for the new routine, so a new
one is written for fear of altering the old one
4. noone knows what the old one does
5. there is no library management
6. not written here syndrome

Bob