M FAQ

<p align="center"><a name="Top"></a> <center> <p><img src="mwm003bn.gif" alt="M Web Magazine Issue 003 (Jun 5, 1997 - Sept 4, 1997)" align=absmiddle width=534 height=39></p> </center> <p align="center"><font color="#008080" size="7"><strong><u>M Frequently Asked Questions</u></strong></font></p> <p> </p> <center><table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="95%"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><p align="center"><font size="5" face="Arial"><b><u>M Technology and MUMPS Language FAQ</u></b></font></p> <p align="right">Last-modified: 1997/01/01</p> <p align="right">Version: 1.5</p> <p align="right">Posting-Frequency: monthly</p> <p>This FAQ is copyright 1997 by Gardner S. Trask III. All rights reserved.</p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><i>Permission is granted for this FAQ to be redistributed provided:</i></b></font></p> <p>a) the redistribution is free, at no cost to the recipient;</p> <p>b) the redistribution includes the complete FAQ, without modification, including this notice;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Post comments or suggestions to <a href="news:comp.lang.mumps">comp.lang.mumps</a> or email to <a href="mailto:trask@world.std.com">trask@world.std.com</a>.</p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><i>Editors:</i></b></font></p> <blockquote> <p>Gardner Trask, trask@world.std.com</p> <p>Jon Diamond, jon.diamond@capemini.co.uk</p> </blockquote> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><font face="Arial"><b><i>Topics</i></b></font><blockquote> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Qi" target="ans">Questions that need answers</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Qii" target="ans">FAQ Updates</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Qiii" target="ans">Sources/contributors/reviewers/participants</a></p> </blockquote> <p><font face="Arial"><b><i>Questions</i></b></font></p> <blockquote> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q1" target="ans">1. What is M?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q2" target="ans">2. Where can I get a no-cost version of M?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q3" target="ans">3. What is comp.lang.mumps? How can I subscribe to it?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q4" target="ans">4. What are some books about M?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q5" target="ans">5. What do M programmers love about M?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q6" target="ans">6. What things about M are generally disliked?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q7" target="ans">7. Why is M called a "database language?"</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q8" target="ans">8. Is M an RDBMS?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa1.html#Q9" target="ans">9. Is M compiled or interpreted?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q10" target="ans">10. How fast is M?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q11" target="ans">11. Does M support Microsoft Windows and other GUI's?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q12" target="ans">12. Are there any M magazines or journals?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q13" target="ans">13. Which is the "official" name, M or MUMPS?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q14" target="ans">14. Is M a mainstream language?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q15" target="ans">15. Is M useful for non-medical applications?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q16" target="ans">16. Is M object-oriented?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q17" target="ans">17. Is M structured?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q18" target="ans">18. Is M suitable for multiuser systems?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q19" target="ans">19. Does M work on LANs?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa2.html#Q20" target="ans">20. Is M standard?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa3.html#Q21" target="ans">21. Is M portable?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa3.html#Q22" target="ans">22. How does M compare to SQL?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa3.html#Q23" target="ans">23. How does M compare to BASIC:</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa3.html#Q24" target="ans">24. Are there M-based 4GLs and application generators?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa3.html#Q25" target="ans">25. Are there M bulletin boards? M FTP sites? M WEB sites? M Newsgroups?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa4.html#Q26" target="ans">26. "What happened in 1841?"</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa4.html#Q27" target="ans">27. How do I list a global directory on this unfamiliar M system?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa4.html#Q28" target="ans">28. Do comments really affect efficiency?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa4.html#Q29" target="ans">29. What is the MDC?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa4.html#Q30" target="ans">30. How does M compare to X-Base?</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa4.html#Q31" target="ans">31. A Brief History of M.</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa5.html#Appx1" target="ans">Appendix 1: List of M Vendors</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa5.html#Appx2" target="ans">Appendix 2: The M Technology Association</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa5.html#Appx3" target="ans">Appendix 3. USA Local M Users Groups</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa5.html#Appx4" target="ans">Appendix 4: Is the official name of the language "M" or "MUMPS?"</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa5.html#Appx5" target="ans">Appendix 5: A "secret decoder ring:" highlights of the M language</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa6.html#Appx6" target="ans">Appendix 6: An example of "textbook" M coding style</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa6.html#Appx7" target="ans">Appendix 7: An example of "traditional" M coding style</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa6.html#Appx8" target="ans">Appendix 8: Mumps, A Solution Looking For A Problem, By Chris Richardson</a></p> <p><a href="mw003fa6.html#Appx9" target="ans">Appendix 9: Testimonials, Accolades, and Articles from outside the community.</a></p> </blockquote> </td> </tr> </table> </center> <p align="center"><img src="pegmwm.gif" alt="Pass on our Web Address!" width="600" height="49"></p> <p align="right"><a href="mailto:chribonn@softhome.net?Subject=MWM_FAQ"><font color="#FFFF80">E&OE</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="mw003tan.html#Top"><img src="next.gif" alt="Next Page" align="right" border="0" hspace="0" width="87" height="77"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="mw003na4.html#Top"><img src="back.gif" align="left" border="0" hspace="0" width="107" height="77"></a></p> <p align="center"><MAP NAME="FrontPageMap1"> <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="86, 3, 159, 76" HREF="mw003fnf.html#Top"> <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="0, 3, 84, 76" HREF="mw003grf.html#Top"> </MAP> <img align="absbottom" src="up_toc.gif" width="160" alt="Up/TOC" ismap usemap="#FrontPageMap1" height="77" border="0"></p>  <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script>  </body>