What is Modula-2?

Modula-2 is a successor of Pascal, a popular language when 8-bit CPUs were prevalent. Either language was invented by Professor N. Wirth of ETH, Zurich, who developed Pascal as a language for students whereas Modula-2 as a language for developers like me. Thus, no wonder Modula-2 is a highly structured language. I recommend a Wikipedia page and the following URLs for more details and recent developments: GNU Modula-2 project, Objective Modula-2 project, and the technical publication ModlaTor. A major supplier of Modula-2 developing environment is Excelsior, an XDS spin-off.

Who should use or learn Modula-2?

Those people who are in the similar situation to mine should consider seroiusly the language,
• if you have a job other than programming (i.e., if you cannot spend so many hours for learning a computer language)
• if you have to develop lab control programs yourself
• if you have to take care of a huge amount of separate programms that may be developed by other people (but they may quit)
• if you prefer simplicity to complexity (i.e., if you are tired of too many tips of the C language)
• if you failed in mastering the C language (but if you still wish to master at least one computer language)
• if you believe that you do not have talent for computing (i.e., if you are not confident of your ability)
• if you used to be a Fortran or Basic programmer (but if you need to develop a large program that may not necessarily be a scientific program)

Modula-2 sample programs for Windows95/98

• The following programs correspond to the C programs in Herbert Schildt,Windows 98 Programming from the Ground Up (McGraw-Hill, 1998). I wrote them modifying each sample program in accordance with XDS. There may not be a strict one-to-one correspondence with the C counterpart because I have often inserted extra codes for self study.
  1. Chapters 2,3: 20 modula-2 source ,resource file, header file ,resource file, header file
  2. Chapter 4:
     • 74 modula-2 source
     • 84 modula-2 source, resource file, header file
     • 110 modula-2 source, resource file, header file
     • 117 modula-2 source, resource file, header file
     • 128 modula-2 source, resource file, header file
     • 149 modula-2 source, resource file, header file
  3. under construction

• The following Modula-2 examples are for the C programs in Viktor Toth,Programming Windows 98/NT Unleashed (Sams, 1998).
  1. Chapter 01: modula-2 source
  2. Chapter 03: modula-2 source
  3. Chapter 04: modula-2 source
  4. Chapter 06: modula-2 source
  5. Chapter 07: modula-2 source, resource file, header file
  6. under construction

Interfacing to GPIB boards

Click here.