Hello,

	I just received word from someone who was on a team which implemented a 
front-end supporting C++. It is not a full interpreter, but essentially what 
we have referred to as a C++ parser. As such, the end-product was not what we 
have called a bare-bones command line interface. The team then applied the 
parser, oriented to the Visual C++ dialect of C++, to various code support 
tools. The article describing the work is:

SigPlan Notices V33, N9, p95 "Experiences in Building C++ Front End", Sep '98

The author I communicated with is Yuan Wanghong of Peking University in 
Beijing. To make a long story short, he estimated it took his team a little 
under 2 FNAL FTE years (year adjusted for vacation time) from start to finish, 
with about 1/3 of this effort dedicated to an integrated test suite.

	There are caveats in applying this number directly to our situation. Some 
will increase this estimate (enough interpretation to be a command line 
interface), others may decrease it (use tools better suited to C++ syntax and 
grammar). I pass this along though to show that the numbers we have used in 
past PasRec discussions for different levels of Cint re-implementation (2-4 
FTE years) are relatively good estimates afterall. We can refine these now by 
comparing our requirements and resources relative to this full-time, dedicated 
effort.

Rob K.