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From: trask@world.std.com
Subject: M Technology and MUMPS Language FAQ, Part 1/2
Message-ID: <DHE518.E77@world.std.com>
Followup-To: comp.lang.mumps
Summary: Should be read by those interested in M and those who wish to
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Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 00:51:08 GMT
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Archive-name: m-technology-faq/part1
Last-modified: 1995/07/01
Version: 1.2
Posting-Frequency: monthly


M Technology and MUMPS Language FAQ


This FAQ is copyright 1995 by Daniel P. B. Smith.  All rights reserved.
Permission is granted for this FAQ to be redistributed provided:

    a) the redistribution is free, at no cost to the recipient;
    b) the redistribution includes the complete FAQ, without modification,
       including this notice;
    c) this FAQ is current, as determined by any of the following: it is
       less than 60 days old; or, it has been obtained directly from
       newsgroup comp.lang.mumps; or, you have queried the editor.

Post comments or suggestions to comp.lang.mumps or email to 
trask@world.std.com.


Editors: Gardner Trask, trask@world.std.com
             Jon Diamond, jdiamond@hoskyns.co.uk


Questions that need answers:
   -- A comparison of M with the xBase;
   -- Brief descriptions of specific, real-world, non-hospital applications;
   -- More information on performance/speed/benchmarks
   -- Concise descriptions or capsule commentaries on major M products,   
      strengths/weaknesses, as seen by users (not vendors).
   -- Sould we include vendor whaite papers in the FAQ?


Changes since Version 1.1: 01/01/95:
 
   Change to the Connections Group address
   Request for thoughts on inclusion of msm white papers.

Changes since Version 1.0: 11/24/94:
   Added notes on the vets.vetmed.missouri.edu FTP site.
   Added cautionary note on CompuServe costs.
   Added notes and new contact names in Vendors section to reflect 
      InterSystems Corporation's acquisition of Digital's DSM product line.

Changes since Version 0.8: 11/05/94:

   Expanded my own remarks on GUI support to include the "write-slash"
   products (DT-Windows and MGM).

   Incorporated most changes made by Jon Diamond for the version
   distributed by MTA-Europe, including: clarified U.S. telephone
   numbers; added section 29, "What is the MDC;" emended of Ed de 
   Moel's remarks (with Ed's permission) on M versus MUMPS.

   Renamed the section "Can I get comp.lang.mumps by E-mail." to "What is 
   comp.lang.mumps?  subscribe to it?"   Added the comp.lang.mumps 
   charter.  Added information on accessing USENET from CompuServe.  

   Added Scott Jones' remarks on comments affecting efficiency (section 28).
   Added his remarks on pseudocode to "Is M Compiled or Interpreted?" 

   Reorganized the order of sections (some section numbers have changed).

   Removed section, "How does M compare to the Xbase languages?," because
   apparently nobody knows. 

   In Tilman Schmidt's section under "What is M:" removed the term 
   "dynamic programming" in response to a criticism from a correspondent who
   asserts that this term has a specific technical meaning which does not
   apply to M, and replaced it with M's own terminology ("indirection;")


Sources/contributors/reviewers/participants:

Ben Bishop, aci@world.std.com
Jon Diamond, jdiamond@hoskyns.co.uk
John D. Godfrey, Godfrey@msmail.vet.cornell.edu
Gavin Greig, ggreig@mcs.dundee.ac.uk
Russell Haddleton, rfh2y@uvacs.cs.Virginia.EDU
Scott P. Jones, scott@INTERSYS.COM
John E. Kemker, III,  kemker.j@atlanta.va.gov
Mark Komarinski, komarimf@craft.camp.clarkson.edu
Keith F. Lynch, kfl@access.digex.net
Ed de Moel, DEMOEL@FWVA.SAIC.COM
Steve J. Morris, sjm2@shore.net
Kevin O'Gorman, kevin@kosman.uucp
Doug Preiser, preiser@cancer.unm.edu
Aaron Seidman, seidman@world.std.com
Tilman Schmidt, ts@gb1.sema.de
Arthur B. Smith, ART@vets.vetmed.missouri.edu
Richard J. Tomlinson, Richard@rtsysgen.demon.co.uk
Gardner Trask, trask@world.std.com
David Whitten, whitten@netcom.com


1. What is M?
2. Where can I get a no-cost version of M?
3. What is comp.lang.mumps?  How can I subscribe to it?
4. What are some books about M?
5. What do M programmers love about M?
6. What things about M are generally disliked?
7. Why is M called a "database language?"
8. Is M an RDBMS?
9. Is M compiled or interpreted?
10. How fast is M?