Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnewsh!rvp
From: rvp@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (rob.v.phillips)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: CROSS-COMPILING WITH AN IBM-PC:HOW TO DO IT?
Summary: CROSS-COMPILIATION WITH IBM-PC
Keywords: CROSS-COMPILING WITH IBM-PC
Message-ID: <1179@cbnewsh.ATT.COM>
Date: 6 Jun 89 01:38:44 GMT
References: <veiled>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 34

I am a longstanding atari 8 bit enthusiast, with an interest in
writing game software. I have done so with various assemblers,
BASIC, and ACTION!

I have recently stepped into the IBM-PC world, and I am pretty
satisfied with most capabilities available, except for support for
game programming.

Rather than throw money into 8-bit hardware and software, and time into
learning their details, I believe that my most productive option for
developing 8-bit games would involve cross-compiling code on the IBM-PC,
and downloading it via the PC's serial port to my Atari 800, somehow.

It seems reasonable that one could download binary code serially to the
ATARI 800 at 9600bps using some dedicated driver for this purpose,
through the 850 interface, joystick ports, or SIO interface (whichever
is cheapest, easiest, and fastest, of course).
Therefore, An 8K program should take only 10 seconds or so to download.
At the same time, I could avail myself of the IBM-PC's speed,
cheap hardware support, to support program development.

Does anyone out there work in this type of environment?
If so, I am sure the net would be interested in the particular
software and hardware you use, on both machines, to accomplish
this type of seemingly ideal work environment. I certainly am
interested! Please share your knowledge.

If you know of source code for a 6502 cross-compiler written in 
portable C, please let me know.

I could compile the cross-compiler code on my IBM with MSC 5.0.

Thanks!
Rob Phillips      (homxc!rvp)