ted@arsocomvax.socom.mil (Ted Nolan) (10/01/90)
I'd like to second the recomendation for MIX Power C. For $20 you get a nice compiler, for $10 more you get the library source. If there's a better value for money commercial sw package, I haven't heard about it. It doesn't have an integrated environment, which is fine by me. I use it for all my DOS utility type programming. The only verifable bug I've ever found was that in some cases, redirected standard file descriptors weren't inherited properly by children. (And I haven't installed the latest upgrade yet; this may be fixed). Ted Nolan ted@usasoc.soc.mil
catfood@NCoast.ORG (Mark W. Schumann) (10/02/90)
I've posted this complaint before, but the (mandatory) optimizing step of the Power C compiler sometimes gags with no explanation. I think it has something to do with arrays of function pointers, but I can't tell--and their tech support is not very helpful. Also, the MIX utility that they've included to convert .OBJ files to the .MIX format will sometimes give the error message "Could not process threads." What's a thread? Tech support says that Turbo assembler causes threads. I don't use TASM. Oh. Okay, use MASM. But what's a thread?.... I'm going to upgrade to TC++. --Mark W. Schumann <catfood@ncoast.org, ...!cwjcc!ncoast!catfood> -- ============================================================ Mark W. Schumann 3111 Mapledale Avenue, Cleveland 44109 USA Domain: catfood@ncoast.org UseNet: ...usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ncoast!catfood ============================================================
dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com (Rahul Dhesi) (10/04/90)
On a price/performance basis, the MIX stuff is good. I used to have versions of the MIX C compiler for both MS-DOS and CP/M. Both had bugs, were slow and quirky, and came with a manual with four or five different indexes so you had to know where to go to find the right index before you actually found the right page. But both were cheap (in every sense) and good value for the money. The reviews tell me that quality is now better, but some quirks and slow speed still remain. On an *absolute* scale, MIX stuff doesn't compare with Borland stuff. -- Rahul Dhesi <dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com> UUCP: oliveb!cirrusl!dhesi
bbs@bluemoon.UUCP (BBS login) (10/06/90)
catfood@NCoast.ORG (Mark W. Schumann) writes: > Also, the MIX utility that they've included to convert .OBJ files > to the .MIX format will sometimes give the error message "Could > not process threads." What's a thread? Tech support says that > Turbo assembler causes threads. I don't use TASM. Oh. Okay, > use MASM. But what's a thread?.... > I used to have similar problems with the MIX utility, but I eventually got the thing to work right. The problem was not specifying some segment directive in the assembly file. The 8086 has a lot of these, and you need to remember them all to get it to work right. What I do now is to just look in my TASM manual, copy all the directives and write in my own subroutine. A good discussion of these bizarre directives can be found in the docs for Eric Isaacson's A86 assembler (shareware). (We now return you to your regularly scheduled C program)