Cogent Products

Glossary, FAQ and Troubleshooting
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# 2.2. Cogent Products

1. Cascade Connect
  Q: Is Cascade Connect the same as the Phindows product for QNX?
2. Gamma
  Q: Why should I use Gamma when I already know C / C++?
  Q: What's the difference between Slang and Gamma?

### 1. Cascade Connect

Q: Is Cascade Connect the same as the Phindows product for QNX?

A: No. Phindows is a Windows-based program that allows you to view and interact with a QNX Photon display running on a networked QNX computer. Cascade Connect is an active data link between any number of QNX, Linux and Windows computers. Using Cascade Connect you can share data between programs in real-time.

### 2. Gamma

Q: Why should I use Gamma when I already know C / C++?

A: Gamma is more flexible and easier to program than C or C++. At the same time, the Gamma syntax is quite similar to C and C++ so Gamma is easy to learn. Most important, though, Gamma is specifically designed to write control software for industrial applications, performing any number of complex tasks quickly and reliably. It has been used to build control systems for the food industry, robotic control systems for the automotive world, and sophisticated airborne navigation software for mineral exploration companies.

Q: What's the difference between Slang and Gamma?

A: "Gamma" is the new name for Slang. We changed the name when we ported the language to Linux because there is a language for Linux called S-Lang and we didn't want to cause any confusion or conflict.

Concurrent with the name change, the syntax has changed a little bit from Slang to Gamma:

- The '`-`' and '`*`' characters are no longer legal characters in identifiers.

- All instances of '`-`' and '`*`' have been changed to '`_`' in function and variable names.

- Signal names such as `*sigsegv*` have been changed to their C counterparts, such as `SIGSEGV`.

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