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From: bdale@winfree.UUCP (Bdale Garbee)
Newsgroups: net.micro.cpm
Subject: Re: Looking for a good C compiler
Message-ID: <76@winfree.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Aug-86 09:58:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: winfree.76
Posted: Wed Aug  6 09:58:14 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Aug-86 04:30:56 EDT
References: <2776@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Reply-To: bdale@winfree.UUCP (Bdale Garbee)
Organization: Bdale's Berkeley Box, Somewhere in USA
Lines: 41

In article <2776@brl-smoke.ARPA> GA.OLS%ISUMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA (Rob Olson) writes:
>I am looking into learning C and I wondered if anyone would have
>any suggestions on what compilers are worthwhile.
> ...
>I have been looking into a compiler from MIX corp. and Dr Dobb's
>small Compiler.  If anyone has any comments about these, I'd love to
>hear them!

We used the MIX compiler for the PC in a consulting job a while back, and were
not very happy with it.  I wasn't using it myself, so comments are all at 
least second hand, but I think the docs were poor, and the compatibility with
other C compilers seemed to be lacking.  Again, this was about a year ago, and
I wasn't the one hacking with it.

SmallC is fun, and a neat way to learn the language, but I feel it is 
insufficient for doing any "real", large applications.  Sources have been
posted a couple times, and I'm sure you can get an executable by asking 
around.

I used the C/80 compiler for CP/M for quite a while, and was pretty happy with
it.  It can be purchased with the floating point stuff and a good tutorial for
about $100 from several places.  I got mine from Sprite Software, I think.

Currently, the compiler I use the most is the Aztec family from Manx.  The
fact that versions are available for a wide variety of targets is a big plus.
I've got the CP/M and MS-Dos versions, both seem to work pretty well.  Good
correlation with the 4.2bsd compiler, and a fair set of runtimes.  
Unfortunately, Aztec compilers are NOT cheap. 

In any case, get a copy of Kernighan and Ritchie's "The C Programming 
Language"... there may be better tutorials around, and there may be more
complete references for modern compilers, but my graphic-designer girlfriend
learned C with it... and gave it high marks for understandability.

-- 


Bdale Garbee, N3EUA
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