[comp.lang.c] 'C' for CP/M

stevek@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Steve Krupa) (09/27/90)

Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers
for CP/M 2.2 systems ?

There used to be several available - in particular :

   Aztec C from HiSoft
   Eco C from ?

Both of these got good reviews when they were released
but I can now find no trace of them. I realise that this
"wonderful" operating system is pretty obsolete, but surely
someone must know something......!!!

I am looking for a C compiler which is a full implementation of
the Kernighan and Ritchie 'standard', and also provides utility
libraries. Anyone help ????
  

noren@dinl.uucp (Charles Noren) (09/28/90)

In article <1150001@hpcpbla.HP.COM> stevek@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Steve Krupa) writes:
>Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers
>for CP/M 2.2 systems ?
>
>There used to be several available - in particular :
>
>   Aztec C from HiSoft
>   Eco C from ?
>

Ahhhh, the memories this brings back.
I first learned C on my old IMSAI-8080 that had CP/M 2.2 with BDS C.
I bought BDS C for (I think) $150 from Lifeboat Associates (can't
remember the phone #).  It wasn't a full K&R C, it didn't have float
or double types, and I think it didn't support struct's -- pretty
watered down C!
BTW, "BDS" stood for "Brain Damaged Software."


-- 
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NET:     dinl!noren@ncar.ucar.edu
US-MAIL: Martin Marietta I&CS, MS XL8058, P.O. Box 1260,
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Phone:   (303) 971-7930

otto@tukki.jyu.fi (Otto J. Makela) (09/28/90)

In article <1150001@hpcpbla.HP.COM> stevek@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Steve Krupa) writes:
   Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers
   for CP/M 2.2 systems ?

   There used to be several available - in particular :

      Aztec C from HiSoft
      Eco C from ?

Aztec C is made by Manx Software Systems, in New Jersey.  If you can't find
them with that reference, I'll dig up some old papers and look it up.
--
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friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Steve Friedl) (09/29/90)

Steve Krupa writes:
> Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers for CP/M 2.2 systems ?

Charles Noren writes:
> Ahhhh, the memories this brings back.
> I first learned C on my old IMSAI-8080 that had CP/M 2.2 with BDS C.
> I bought BDS C for (I think) $150 from Lifeboat Associates (can't
> remember the phone #).  It wasn't a full K&R C, it didn't have float
> or double types, and I think it didn't support struct's -- pretty
> watered down C!

It supported struct, did not support long or static initializers,
no bitfields, #ifdef/#include/#endif didn't work right, <stdio.h>
was quite different, and by today's standards it looks amazingly
primitive.  Be cautious before you newcomers start to laugh at us
old timers -- BDS C was a *wonderful* compiler in its day.

Whitesmith's produced a C compiler that was full C, probably
fully optimizing, but you could grow yourself a coffee tree
[bush?] for a fresh cup in the time it took to do even a small
compile.  It had lots of passes and was truly the most gruesome
compilation experience I have ever had.

BDS C, on the other hand, was probably an order of magnitude
faster than Whitesmiths for compiles.  It kept everything in
RAM, so it spent almost no time reading/writing temp files.
Sure, it had limits that in retrospect were pretty onerous,
but on my dual-floppy Z80 it would outcompile a VAX-11/780 by
a fair margin.

It is amazing how tolerant one becomes when one is faced with
a choice such as above.  Leor Zolman, I salute you (I still have
my compiler!).

     Steve

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kew@cims2.uucp (Keith Walker) (09/29/90)

stevek@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Steve Krupa) writes:

>Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers
>for CP/M 2.2 systems ?

>There used to be several available - in particular :

>   Aztec C from HiSoft
                 ^^^^^^-- this should be Manx.
>   Eco C from ?
               ^-- this should be EcoSoft.

>Both of these got good reviews when they were released
>but I can now find no trace of them. I realise that this
>"wonderful" operating system is pretty obsolete, but surely
>someone must know something......!!!

>I am looking for a C compiler which is a full implementation of
>the Kernighan and Ritchie 'standard', and also provides utility
>libraries. Anyone help ????
>  

There was also BDS C, from BD Systems (?); it was the original C compiler
for CP/M.  During its heyday, CP/M had a bunch of them, most now defunct.
I'd call Manx and see if they still make the CP/M compiler. It was my
chosen system -- good code generation, complete library, K&R (except for
bitfields, I think).

EcoSoft's phone # is 800/952-0472
Manx's phone # is unknown.
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ted@sbstaff2.cs.sunysb.edu (Dr. Ted Carnevale) (10/01/90)

I would like to mention C/80 by Software Toolworks.  It was far from 
standard, but not as far as BDS C.  Produced more compact code than Aztec C
or Eco C, and it compiled faster than them (but a bit slower than BDS C).
Somebody named Gustafson wrote a rather complete set of library routines for
it that he marketed under the name of Viking Software (or something close
to it).  Very nicely done.
C/80 produced assembly language source suitable for ASM, but with a command
line switch it would make code for M80.  SLR Systems assemblers and linkers
were also usable.

noren@dinl.uucp (Charles Noren) (10/01/90)

In article <530@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US> friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Steve Friedl) writes:
>...  Be cautious before you newcomers start to laugh at us
>old timers -- BDS C was a *wonderful* compiler in its day.

 I agree!  In reading my first response I realized I might have been
 ambigious in stating my feelings about BDS C.

>Leor Zolman, I salute you (I still have my compiler!).

I salute Leor Zolman too, and I still have my 8-inch floppy with
BDS C, although I retired my IMSAI-8080 a long time ago.
(its hard to give up favorite nostalgia stuff).


-- 
Chuck Noren
NET:     dinl!noren@ncar.ucar.edu
US-MAIL: Martin Marietta I&CS, MS XL8058, P.O. Box 1260,
         Denver, CO 80201-1260
Phone:   (303) 971-7930

tanner@cdis-1.compu.com (Dr. T. Andrews) (10/01/90)

 + In article <530@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US> friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US
 + (Steve Friedl) writes  [ of BDS C under CP/M ]
True, there was BDS C, but there was also Q/C ("quality C"), by Jim
Colvin, and which we happily used.  It had everything but longs and
floating types (and it had a crude pre-processor).  It was one-pass
in operation, generating source for the local assembler.

Reasonably fast (normally it was waiting on I/O), reasonably cheap,
and it came with source.  Funny how things which come with source
seem to work better, isn't it?

Ah, yes, and it could re-compile itself on a CP/M system!  This was
verified by allowing it to do so, after making a few minor mods to
it.  A really incredible deal, and one which we still cite as a good
example.
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news@trlluna.trl.oz (USENET News System) (10/03/90)

stood for Brain Damaged Software.
From: aduncan@rhea.trl.oz (Allan Duncan)
Path: rhea!aduncan

Manx got up to version 1.06d for CP/M - I still use it for Z80 embedded
controller work, but replaced the assembler and linker with SLR's
products (Z80ASM and SRLNK+) for greater speed and vesatility - some
adaption to the startup code was needed.

Allan Duncan	ACSnet	a.duncan@trl.oz
(03) 541 6708	ARPA	a.duncan%trl.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
		UUCP	{uunet,hplabs,ukc}!munnari!trl.oz!a.duncan
Telecom Research Labs, PO Box 249, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.

aduncan@rhea.trl.oz (Allan Duncan) (10/03/90)

Sorry, our news mailer choked on the beginning of my posting - here it
is again:

From article <1990Sep29.150153.6287@cims2.uucp>, by kew@cims2.uucp (Keith Walker):
 
> There was also BDS C, from BD Systems (?); it was the original C compiler
                 ^^^
	I heard that they had a twisted sense of humour and that it
stood for Brain Damaged Software.

Manx got up to version 1.06d for CP/M - I still use it for Z80 embedded
controller work, but replaced the assembler and linker with SLR's
products (Z80ASM and SRLNK+) for greater speed and versatility - some
adaption to the startup code was needed.


Allan Duncan	ACSnet	a.duncan@trl.oz
(03) 541 6708	ARPA	a.duncan%trl.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
		UUCP	{uunet,hplabs,ukc}!munnari!trl.oz!a.duncan
Telecom Research Labs, PO Box 249, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.

etrmg@levels.sait.edu.au (10/05/90)

In article <1150001@hpcpbla.HP.COM>, stevek@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Steve Krupa) writes:
> Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers
> for CP/M 2.2 systems ?

Yes

> 
> There used to be several available - :

> someone must know something......!!!

You bet. . .

> 
> I am looking for a C compiler which is a full implementation of
> the Kernighan and Ritchie 'standard', and also provides utility
> libraries. Anyone help ????
>   

Well, poke yer nose into comp.os.cpm for a start.  I've been looking for a
cheep compiler & a bit o' assistance as well.

Ed Grey has come back to me on Mix C (Which no-one here had mentioned!)
& He sells it for about 25$$US .   SO CHECK IT OUT.

BTW, since I'm in the C news group, does anyone have objective feelings
(are there such things?) about Mix C??  I've heard it's K&R but also have
heard that it's pretty weak too!?  For 25 clams, I should just shut up & put up
eh?

CU Ronn