Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site bu-cs.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!bu-cs!root
From: root@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c,net.wanted
Subject: Re: C compiler for IBM /370 wanted
Message-ID: <244@bu-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Mar-85 12:12:06 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.244
Posted: Fri Mar 15 12:12:06 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Mar-85 00:22:05 EST
References: <138@cernvax.UUCP>
Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci.
Lines: 30
Xref: watmath net.lang.c:4771 net.wanted:6037

I know of two C compilers for the IBM/370:

	1. A PCC from Bell Labs which we run here at B.U.
	Call Bell for availability. My suspicion is you would
	have to have e or essentially be eligible for a UNIX
	source license (the fact that it is a 370 does *not*
	exclude this, speak to bell.)

	2. A company called RIS (they make a data base system
	called ORACLE) in California. They sell a C compiler,
	it isn't cheap but may have advantages that make it
	worthwhile (support, they use it for their DB sys so
	it probably is pretty good.)

The Bell PCC is 'good', not great. For example, array declarations
are limited to 4096 bytes (cuz of base/displacement) although
I just malloc() larger things at start-up and it works fine.
There are a few small bugs that require similar 'hacks' but
nothing intolerable. I remember some problem with returning
a float so we had to put defs in <math.h> that went something like:

float *_sin(x) ;
#define sin(x) (*_sin(x))

no big problem, just a nuisance (more a documentation problem
as you explain these workarounds over and over again.)

On the other hand, if you like C it really is C, we use it a *lot*!

	-Barry Shein, Boston University