ir320@sdcc6.UUCP (ir320) (10/19/85)
Has anyone out there tried the MIX C compiler and Editor for CP/M? What do
you think of it? It is better than the Manx Aztec CII compiler? What is
the code like? How complete is it? How fast? Any advice given will be
greatly appreciated.
John Antypas
UC San Diego
uucp:
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arpa:
ir320%sdcc6@sdcsvax.ARPA sdcsvax!gwsd!man!wolf!u0236879@Nosc.ARPAhestenes@sdcsla.UUCP (Eric Hestenes) (10/21/85)
> Has anyone out there tried the MIX C compiler and Editor for CP/M? What do > John Antypas > UC San Diego john, i ordered the mix 'c' compiler about 3 weeks ago and it was shipped ( dated 10/15 ) to me this week. $45 including shipping. It appears to be a complete implementation of 'C' and has a large number of unix-like and cpm-specific functions ( i.e. bdos/bios calls, chain ). The manual is very large ( like a small telephone book ) and seems pretty good. It's loaded with examples ( about one example per item described ). The type-face stinks, though, and also the production quality ( i.e. rather poor indexes. ) The manual compares to aztec, but that might be as far as it goes. The compiler is quite slow, but appears to work ( for $40, the latter was certainly in doubt. ) I tested it by compiling some xlisp source, and it compiled without changes. It appears, though, that there are some kludges. For example, to run an executable file you have to have a runtime overlay on the disk, and the overlay ( that loads in the stdio package ) is loaded up ( slowly ) before the program runs. This seems artificial to me. I should point out that a compiler option turns this off, but then one isn't using i/o. The compiler in one pass creates an object file that can be passsed to the linker. Two utilities are provided that can be used before linking: a code speed optimizer ( increases speed and code size ) and a code size optimizer ( decreases size and speed ). I haven't had a chance to try these. The code doesn't appear too fast, but i haven't tested it either with a benchmark or by using the speedup utility. They do provide a full gamut of 'C' tools, from void constructs to assigning structures to standard i/o functions. Also there is some source code to some of the i/o functions ( fprintf, i think, etc ( ??? )). Overall, I commend them on providing full K&R compatibility ( both the compiler and the manual are highly compatible ). At this point I can't commend them for runtime efficiency, nor for user interface ( as i would turbo pascal ). However, for the price it is obviously excellent, especially given the full K&R support ( including floats and longs, unix fns ( e.g. execl, execv, printf, getc, etc )). For anyone on a budget, i recommend it, particularily for c novices ( there's a decent tutorial ). If you're rich, aztec is better, but maybe not for long. With several changes, this package could compete. I should point out that it costs more for two books on 'C' than for this compiler that includes a first-rate manual and is portable to many machines. Apple cpm users beware: 2 normal drives are not enough, unless you are fond of pulling floppies in and out of drives. A Unidisk 3.5 or a hard disk is recommendable for this package, unless you have an editor that is smaller than, say, wordstar. ( 30K ) One drive systems with less than 300K are out of the question. However, it does work with 2 drives and 64k. if anyone has specific questions, mail me and i'll try to answer them. eric --------- Eric Hestenes arpanet: hestenes@nprdc.ARPA other: ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcsla!hestenes or hestenes@sdcsla.UUCP [ is this considered an ad? I hope not :-) ]
Ghenis.pasa@XEROX.ARPA (10/22/85)
FIRST-TIME IMPRESSIONS ON MIX-C AND MIX EDITOR (CP/M version): The prominently advertised MIX C compiler is finally being shipped. Mine arrived yesterday (two months late). I hope the delay means that version 1.0 is fully functional and has not been rushed to the marketplace. I'd rather wait than be irate. Mild irritation: I ordered COD and MIX didn't tell me that they instruct UPS *not* to accept personal checks. So far I haven't had time to really test the compiler. I did some standard trivial stuff last night and MIX C performed. The documentation is a large and thick softcover manual that includes an introduction to the C language. It seemed well structured and clear, with enough examples. According to the manual most default settings can be changed by the user (where to look for overlays, etc.) and programs can be optimized for either size or speed. The standard libraries can also be changed. Creation of overlays seems fairly painless since the linker they provide appears to be quite programmer-friendly. My first impression with my new toy is very positive. For $39.95 it seems like a bargain (unless I uncover some crippling bug tonight...) I also ordered the MIX Editor and I tend to agree with the positive reviews posted on this list. I like the ability to split my screen and edit two files at a time. It is programmable so you can redefine your keyboard or even write editor procedures. It certainly is more editing power than I expected to ever have on my CP/M system.
tom@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA (10/22/85)
Hi; I picked up your note on this C compiler from the net. I own an APPLE IIE with CPM, and I am interested in locating a good (cheap) C compiler. I would appreciate any information you may have on this subject, especially the address of the company you bought your C from. Thanks Trevor O. McCarthy The MITRE Corporation.