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From: fnf@fishpond.UUCP (Fred Fish)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Amiga specific C include files
Message-ID: <112@fishpond.UUCP>
Date: 31 May 90 04:25:20 GMT
References: <1990May26.210140.28362@evax.arl.utexas.edu> <1878@tmiuv0.uucp> <2433@psuhcx.psu.edu>
Reply-To: fnf@fishpond.UUCP (Fred Fish)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Amiga Library Services
Lines: 48

In article <2433@psuhcx.psu.edu> vmr@psuhcx.psu.edu (Vic Ricker) writes:
>Is there a way to make DICE work without getting the Amiga includes etc..?
>Like perhaps to make it compile the simple hello.c example?

Although I can understand WHY there are no freely distributable versions
of the Amiga include files, I have trouble accepting the fact.  This is
a real pain for everyone that would like to have a complete freely
redistributable compilation environment for the Amiga.

For a couple of years I have been kicking around the idea of a project to
produce a set of include files by "reverse engineering" the include
files, much like the IBM PC roms were reverse engineered.  This requires
two groups of users:

	(1)	One with access to the current includes that can
		write abstract specifications for the include files.
		Although the includes are covered by copyright, the
		ideas and specification of their contents are not.
		Basically this group of users would probably be
		experienced Amiga developers that could fill out some
		specification files in some standard format.

	(2)	The coders.  These would be users who ideally have
		never seen and Amiga before, and have never used
		either the Lattice or Manx C compilers.  Experienced
		C programmers with only Unix experience would be
		ideal.  They would take the specifications produced
		from group (1) and write the include files from those
		specifications.  These include files would be fed
		back to group (1) who would do all the Amiga testing
		and revise the specifications as necessary to bring
		the official include files and the reverse engineered
		include files into functional equivalence (I.E. a clean
		compile and working executables with either set of files).

Anyone wishing to participate in either group, help draft up a skeleton
of the include file specification, or otherwise help with documentation
of the process, is welcome to send me email.  I'll file the responses
away for future use if the project looks feasable.

-Fred




-- 
# Fred Fish, 1835 E. Belmont Drive, Tempe, AZ 85284,  USA
# 1-602-491-0048               asuvax!mcdphx!fishpond!fnf