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Path: utzoo!utgpu!parora
From: parora@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Pavneet Arora)
Date: Mon, 13-Jun-88 23:54:44 EDT
Message-ID: <1988Jun13.235444.22510@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Organization: University of Toronto Computing Services
Subject: WATCOM C 6.0 - soliciting opinions, posting a few of my own
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Keywords: C, MS C, QuickC

WATCOM seems to have come out of nowhere to be a contender in the C compiler
game.  I was wondering if anyone had started using this product and had opinions
about it.

Some observations of my own:

1.  I called up WATCOM to find out how good the runtime library was compared
    to MS.  I was told that it was fully compatible (I got the impression that
    this meant that there are equivalent routines for all of MS's).  Then when
    I had questions about memory models, using MASM in conjunction with it
    etc. I was told that someone would call me back.  AND BY GOLLY THEY DID,
    unlike MS who have told me the same thing at least 6 or 7 times in 
    the past 3 months and never bothered. Friendly, informative people.

2.  According to Computing Canada and PC TECH, the editor used in their
    Express C (WATCOM's version of Quick C) leaves a lot to be desired.  Well
    I could live with that especially since I have recently got hooked onto
    Brief.

3.  WATCOM C 6.5 is to come out within a couple of weeks.  This was to have
    a better runtime library.  I didn't really pursue what enhancements this
    version is to have because I haven't had a chance to play with the original.
    The person I spoke with didn't seem to know whether some of the dead code
    instructions that WC tripped up on in the PC TECH article were being 
    addressed in this version, BUT DID SAY THAT THEY WERE DEFINITELY
    BEING ADDRESSED.  She actually knew which instructions that WC did poorly on
    Also, this release is supposed to be free to all 6.0 owners.
    My god, a developer that not only reads what other people have to say
    about their stuff but actually listens.

Looks like they looked at where MS was tripping up i.e. support, bugs etc.
and tried to offer something better.

pavneet arora
parora@utgpu