Re (5): [Oberon] OFS aliases not being initialized

[Duke Normandin]

On Sun, 15 Aug 2010, peasthope at shaw.ca wrote:

> Duke,
>
> My error was to describe an example rather than specify
> the general solution.
>
> > Then I fail to see how placing System.Time dead last in InitCommands
> > helps in any way debug the rest balance of the file.
>
> It will tell you whether the error is in InitCommands.
> If the error is beyond InitCommands, System.Time won't
> narrow the scope any more.
>
>
> This is a search problem.  A well established solution
> is partitioned search.
> (1) Divide the target interval into two parts which
>   cover the interval.  In binary search the two parts
>   are as equal as possible.
> (2) Establish whether the fault is in the first part
>   or second part.
> (3) If the fault is in the first part, then resume at
>   (1) with target interval = first part.  If the fault
>   is in the second part then resume at (1) with
>   target interval = second part.
>
> You can apply this algorithm to finding an error in
> Oberon.Text.  After four or five partitions of the
> the text you should have the error pinned down.
>
> A different approach is to retrieve a copy of the
> originally installed Oberon.Text from the Oberon0
> diskette.  Give the file any new name; Oberon0.Text
> for example.  Then do a file comparison.  If you
> have an Oberon system working well enough,
>   Diff.Do Oberon.Text Oberon0.Text
> .  In Linux, diff.

I see what you were driving at! Once System.Time eliminates the
InitCommands section from being the culprit, then the balance of the
file can be debugged by process of elimanation - which is _exactly
what I've been doing by commenting out blocks of text. I did find the
problem, BTW! A missing closing " in one of the Network items.

I use diff all the time - good tool! Thanks!

-- 
Duke