Modula-2 Developer?

Question

Guess no new project is implemented in languages like Modula, Ada , Oberon .. anymore (right?). But still there are legacy systems floating around, popping out here and there looking for their creators. They cant find them because they might be retired sitting at a beach somewhere enjoying themselves.

Serious:
1) I am wondering if there are still active (experienced) Modula programmers around ?
2) Anyone experience with porting Modula code to a new hardware generation ?
3) Does anyone know about a tool that can re-engineer, means map Procedures and Mod-files in a graphical way. These tools are available for eg. C programs.

Sure, Modula Syntax is not that breathtaking in comparison to todays .net and Java API's with 1000's of methods, but if someone drop about 100.000 lines of almost undocumented sourcode at you (nicely mixed with some 8000 lines assembler), you better know if you better reject it. I have this request and I am very resistant. (Option: port and keep modula source or migrate to other language in 9 months!)

cheers

Answer 1

1) I am wondering if there are still active (experienced) Modula programmers around ?

There are plenty of them, but you have to do a bit of web search to find them. If you search for "Curriculum Vitae" (or "Resume") and "Modula-2" there should be plenty of hits. Also, anybody who has experience in Oberon, Pascal or Delphi will be able to handle Modula-2.

Also there are active Modula-2 projects, most notably:

• GNU Modula-2 at http://www.nongnu.org/gm2
• Modula-2 R10 at http://modula-2.net/m2r10
• Modula2JCC at http://code.google.com/p/modula2jcc
• Modulipse at http://modulipse.sourceforge.net
• Schwarzer Kaffee http://sourceforge.net/projects/schwarzerkaffee

2) Anyone experience with porting Modula code to a new hardware generation ?

Ask on the GNU Modula-2 mailing list. Many GNU Modula-2 users have Modula-2 code from 16-bit DOS systems they like to port to modern platforms. The GNU Modula-2 website lists this as one important motivation for GM2. The GM2 mailing list is at:

• http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gm2

There is also the Modula-2 Usenet news group, you can reach it via the Google interface at

• http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.modula2

Last but not least, there is a Modula-2 IRC channel at Freenode

• irc://irc.freenode.net/#modula-2

3) How to assess 100.000 lines of Modula-2 source code

"if someone drop about 100.000 lines of almost undocumented sourcode at you (nicely mixed with some 8000 lines assembler), you better know if you better reject it. I have this request and I am very resistant. (Option: port and keep modula source or migrate to other language in 9 months!)"

You may want to contact Rick Sutcliffe, a well known Modula-2 scholar and book author who is also the maintainer of the Modula-2 FAQ in which he states that he does get hired to do consulting work for assessing Modula-2 source code in company take-over situations. It seems to me that your situation might be similar enough to justify hiring an expert to establish the value of the software that is offered to you.

• The Modula-2 FAQ is at http://faq.modula2.net