2 # test file for mp (not comprehensive)
4 # v7 m4 does not have `decr'.
6 define(DECR,`eval($1-1)')
8 # include string macros
12 # create some fortrash strings for an even uglier language
16 string(BEGIN, "begin")
22 string(REPEAT, "repeat")
23 string(WHILE, "while")
24 string(DEFAULT, "default")
25 string(UNTIL, "until")
26 string(FUNCTION, "function")
27 string(PROCEDURE, "procedure")
28 string(EXTERNAL, "external")
29 string(FORWARD, "forward")
32 string(CONST, "const")
33 string(PROGRAM, "program")
34 string(INPUT, "input")
35 string(OUTPUT, "output")
47 ifdef(`abc',defined,undefined)
49 # v7 m4 does this wrong. The right output is
50 # this is A vEry lon sEntEnCE
51 # see m4 documentation for translit.
53 translit(`this is a very long sentence', abcdefg, ABCDEF)
55 # include towers-of-hanoi
59 # some reasonable set of disks
63 # include ackermann's function
67 # something like (3,3) will blow away un*x m4.
71 # include a square_root function for fixed nums
82 # some textual material for enjoyment.
84 [taken from the 'Clemson University Computer Newsletter',
85 September 1981, pp. 6-7]
87 I am a wizard in the magical Kingdom of Transformation and I
88 slay dragons for a living. Actually, I am a systems programmer.
89 One of the problems with systems programming is explaining to
90 non-computer enthusiasts what that is. All of the terms I use to
91 describe my job are totally meaningless to them. Usually my response
92 to questions about my work is to say as little as possible. For
93 instance, if someone asks what happened at work this week, I say
94 "Nothing much" and then I change the subject.
96 With the assistance of my brother, a mechanical engineer, I have devised
97 an analogy that everyone can understand. The analogy describes the
98 "Kingdom of Transformation" where travelers wander and are magically
99 transformed. This kingdom is the computer and the travelers are information.
100 The purpose of the computer is to change information to a more meaningful
101 forma. The law of conservation applies here: The computer never creates
102 and never intentionally destroys data. With no further ado, let us travel
103 to the Kingdom of Transformation:
105 In a land far, far away, there is a magical kingdom called the Kingdom of
106 Transformation. A king rules over this land and employs a Council of
107 Wizardry. The main purpose of this kingdom is to provide a way for
108 neighboring kingdoms to transform citizens into more useful citizens. This
109 is done by allowing the citizens to enter the kingdom at one of its ports
110 and to travel any of the many routes in the kingdom. They are magically
111 transformed along the way. The income of the Kingdom of Transformation
112 comes from the many toll roads within its boundaries.
114 The Kingdom of Transformation was created when several kingdoms got
115 together and discovered a mutual need for new talents and abilities for
116 citizens. They employed CTK, Inc. (Creators of Transformation, Inc.) to
117 create this kingdom. CTK designed the country, its transportation routes,
118 and its laws of transformation, and created the major highway system.
123 Because magic is not truly controllable, CTK invariably, but unknowingly,
124 creates dragons. Dragons are huge fire-breathing beasts which sometimes
125 injure or kill travelers. Fortunately, they do not travel, but always
126 remain near their den.
128 Other hazards also exist which are potentially harmful. As the roads
129 become older and more weatherbeaten, pot-holes will develop, trees will
130 fall on travelers, etc. CTK maintenance men are called to fix these
136 The wizards play a major role in creating and maintaining the kingdom but
137 get little credit for their work because it is performed secretly. The
138 wizards do not wan the workers or travelers to learn their incantations
139 because many laws would be broken and chaos would result.
141 CTK's grand design is always general enough to be applicable in many
142 different situations. As a result, it is often difficult to use. The
143 first duty of the wizards is to tailor the transformation laws so as to be
144 more beneficial and easier to use in their particular environment.
146 After creation of the kingdom, a major duty of the wizards is to search for
147 and kill dragons. If travelers do not return on time or if they return
148 injured, the ruler of the country contacts the wizards. If the wizards
149 determine that the injury or death occurred due to the traveler's
150 negligence, they provide the traveler's country with additional warnings.
151 If not, they must determine if the cause was a road hazard or a dragon. If
152 the suspect a road hazard, they call in a CTK maintenance man to locate the
153 hazard and to eliminate it, as in repairing the pothole in the road. If
154 they think that cause was a dragon, then they must find and slay it.
156 The most difficult part of eliminating a dragon is finding it. Sometimes
157 the wizard magically knows where the dragon's lair it, but often the wizard
158 must send another traveler along the same route and watch to see where he
159 disappears. This sounds like a failsafe method for finding dragons (and a
160 suicide mission for thr traveler) but the second traveler does not always
161 disappear. Some dragons eat any traveler who comes too close; others are
164 The wizards may call in CTK who designed the highway system and
165 transformation laws to help devise a way to locate the dragon. CTK also
166 helps provide the right spell or incantation to slay the dragon. (There is
167 no general spell to slay dragons; each dragon must be eliminated with a
170 Because neither CTK nor wizards are perfect, spells to not always work
171 correctly. At best, nothing happens when the wrong spell is uttered. At
172 worst, the dragon becomes a much larger dragon or multiplies into several
173 smaller ones. In either case, new spells must be found.
175 If all existing dragons are quiet (i.e. have eaten sufficiently), wizards
176 have time to do other things. They hide in castles and practice spells and
177 incatations. They also devise shortcuts for travelers and new laws of
180 Changes in the Kingdom
181 ======================
183 As new transformation kingdoms are created and old ones are maintained,
184 CTK, Inc. is constantly learning new things. It learns ways to avoid
185 creating some of the dragons that they have previously created. It also
186 discovers new and better laws of transformation. As a result, CTK will
187 periodically create a new grand design which is far better than the old.
188 The wizards determine when is a good time to implement this new design.
189 This is when the tourist season is slow or when no important travelers
190 (VIPs) are to arrive. The kingdom must be closed for the actual
191 implementation and is leter reopened as a new and better place to go.
193 A final question you might ask is what happens when the number of tourists
194 becomes too great for the kingdom to handle in a reasonable period of time
195 (i.e., the tourist lines at the ports are too long). The Kingdom of
196 Transformation has three options: (1) shorten the paths that a tourist must
197 travel, or (2) convince CTK to develop a faster breed of horses so that the
198 travelers can finish sooner, or (3) annex more territories so that the
199 kingdom can handle more travelers.
201 Thus ends the story of the Kingdom of Transformation. I hope this has
202 explained my job to you: I slay dragons for a living.
205 #should do an automatic undivert..