hcarter@afit-ab.ARPA (12/27/85)
From: hcarter@afit-ab.ARPA (Harold Carter) The current issue of lattice C (2.03 I think) that is being distributed as Amiga C has the following plus and negative characteristics: + Implements the complete syntax and semantics as V. 5 K & R Unix C - Documentation is the pits. A lot of libs and .h files are supplied for which there is absolutely no documentation. As recognised by others on this net, the manual does not accurately reflect what is distributed. Even the errata sheets have significant errors! - No "exec" function seems to be supplied to permit chaining to existing programs. (I tried to write a small C program which would be called from the Startup-Sequence on power up of the Amiga to request date and time, then execute date with that date and time. With no "exec", couldn't make linkage cleanly, so I ended up with a terrible kludge...) - The install sequence supplied with Amiga-C is worthless if one wants to create a system disk for C development leaving df1: entirely free for developer's code. I use the following structure for my df0: disk - c - only put those executable programs that you really need to edit, compile, and execute your programs. Not including "edit" and other large programs frees up alot of disk space. s - only put Startup-Sequence and Make (from the Amiga C disk) here. Modify Startup-Sequence to load CLI by removing the last line from the vanilla version supplied with the Amiga. Modify the Make script by putting "df0:" in front of all file references to lib files. libs - get rid of any libs you don't think you'll need. For my applications, I don't plan on using Workbench or other built-in graphics facilities and what I need I'll grow my own, so this directory is currently empty. This may change as I use more of the system. lib - amiga.lib, debug.lib, Lstartup.lib, Astartup.lib, and lc.lib are here. l - Disk-Validator, Ram-Handler, and Port-Handler. devs - As per original Workbench disk except I removed printers directory since I plan on using my cp/m system as a print spooler for the time being. t - empty (and will stay that way since this disk is write protected). fonts - empty since system seems to want this directory but I don't need the fonts (yet). include - copy include directory from the Amiga-C disk to here and then remove the workbench and intuition subdirectories. All this fits on one 880 K disk with 39 blocks to spare. Since my application is for integrated circuit and PC board CAD, I find the workbench and intuition graphics get in my way, so they are not a part of my C development disk. However, anything mentioned above may change as I get more familiar with all the undocumented .h and lib files. - C programs take forever to compile and load! I would be interested in how others have configured their C development disks. Also, where in the world do we get documentation on all the .h files and lib files supplied on the Amiga C disk? I am one frustrated fellow at this time because I can't even communicate normally with the serial port!! By the way, the serial port is configured for a modem, not a terminal. Thus, one either needs to configure an RS-232 cable with pins 2 and 3 reversed, or go into the insides of the Amiga, cut the 90-degree wires on pins 2 and 3 at the connector, and wire-wrap reverse connections on those cut pins (carefully, very carefully!!) if terminal communications is desired. I strongly suggest that Commodore put in a modem/terminal switch to accomplish this in further revisions of the Amiga so people like me don't have to go inside the machine (which is beautifully layed out and packaged) and perform unneccesary surgery. One very nice touch... the underside of the top part of the cabinet has the signature of a number of people - I assume this is the Amiga design and development group. Gave me a nice warm feeling that the machine came from the fountain spring of human creativity and passion. Lt Col Hal Carter Air Force Institute of Technology
hamilton@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU (12/29/85)
> I would be interested in how others have configured their C development disks.
the include files on my disk totalled something like 440Kb. after i ran
them thru a few filters on the Vax, i reduced that to about 130K. my
"C Workbench" thus has room for a large :c (currently ~600Kb). i jettisoned
all the fonts and printer devices. i might throw out translator&narrator
later, but i'm still playing with speechtoy, etc. my :c directory must have
a lot of stuff yours doesn't -- standard commands plus cc, make, wack, etc.
wayne hamilton
U of Il and US Army Corps of Engineers CERL
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