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From: dyer@atari.UUcp (Landon Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16
Subject: Re: How close to ALCYON C is TOS?
Message-ID: <183@atari.UUcp>
Date: Tue, 15-Apr-86 00:19:04 EST
Article-I.D.: atari.183
Posted: Tue Apr 15 00:19:04 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 16-Apr-86 04:27:00 EST
References: <8604121902.AA24030@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 25


How far is up?

Why change a perfectly good object code format?  You think reinventing
the wheel is fun, maybe?  Executable file loaders are not hard to write.

The GEMDOS C compiler is the Alcyon C compiler (a couple of centuries
old -- ask DRI why they haven't released any new versions in the last
couple years) -- the SAME compiler that also runs on CP/M-68K.  Only
the changes needed to make it run on the ST were made.

The only differences between CP/M-68K and GEMDOS binary files are:

	o  The relocation information is compressed (say, to about 5%
	   of the total file size, on the average) under GEMDOS.  (Those
	   of you familiar with CP/M-68K are nodding your heads right now).

	o  There are no "absolute" files under GEMDOS (thank God).

You could do ST development under CP/M-68K, if you wanted to.  In fact, that's
what Atari did in the early days of the project.



-Landon			"If business is war, then I'm a prisoner of business!"