Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!linus!philabs!brb
From: brb@philabs.Philips.Com (Brian Bertan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Microsoft Assembler
Message-ID: <3241@briar.Philips.Com>
Date: 2 Feb 88 20:30:32 GMT
References: <1428@homxb.UUCP> <271@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <714@athos.rutgers.edu>
Reply-To: brb@briar.philips.com.UUCP (Brian Bertan)
Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Lines: 40

In article <714@athos.rutgers.edu>, hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu (Charles Hedrick) writes:
> There is at least one competing assembler.  Mark Williams' C includes
> its own assembler, loader, librarian, etc.  The whole package ("Let's
> C") is less expensive than the Microsoft assembler.  This assembler is
> based on Unix technology, and I believe does optimize jumps.  However
> I have also had trouble getting it to compile some formats of call and
> jump far.  (In general the Mark Williams technology is designed for
> the small model.  If you pay $500, they'll give you a version of the
> package where the C can handle the large model, but code compiled that
> way has to be handled by the normal MSDOS loader.  It's not in the
> format that their loader, etc., handles, and can't be debugged with
> their debugger.)


Version 4.0 of the Mark Williams Compiler "Let's C", DOES include the
large model formats for MS-DOS object formats, and BOTH Large and Small
object formats can be debugged with CSD (also included).  The
proprietary object format is no longer supported.  Most of the features
of the $500.00 compiler are included with version 4.0 (at a fraction of
the cost), the exception being some of the minor utilities (e.g. grep,
diff).

There is also a neat new utility which allows object names to be edited from
other object files created for other compilers.

On the whole,  I am quite satisfied with this product (which cost less than
$50.00 :-) ).  I also find that they are quite good with phone support.  I
would however, like to see more library functions provided with this compiler.

Disclaimer:  These opinions are mine, and not my employers'.  I have no
connection with the Mark Williams company except as a satisfied customer.

Brian Bertan

Philips Labs
345 Scarborough Rd.
Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510
(914) 945-6309

philabs!brb