jsv@hpsad.HP.COM (Jeff Vetter) (09/27/89)
I recently viewed an ad for Lattice C v6.0. They made some impressive claims and after checking into the prices, at a substantially cheaper price than Microsoft C v5.1. The ad was in Dr. Dobb's Journal. They report that Lattice C v6.0 has better perfomance, better compatibility, and almost twice the library support of either Microsoft or Borland. Also, they have added language extentions such as: critical and private. Included in the development kit is: the compiler, an assembler, numerous libraries (eg. communications, graphics, etc.), a make utility, an editor, a debugger, a librarian, etc. All sell for a retail price of $250. If you go to a third-party vendor, $200-$215. Has anyone used this new compiler? I have never used anything but Microsoft, so would someone fill me in on the Lattice story. Thanks. Jeffrey Vetter Signal Analysis Division Rohnert Park, CA jsv@hpsad
drcook@hubcap.clemson.edu (david richard cook) (09/28/89)
From article <1820005@hpsad.HP.COM>, by jsv@hpsad.HP.COM (Jeff Vetter): > Has anyone used this new compiler? I have never used anything but > Microsoft, so would someone fill me in on the Lattice story. > > Thanks. > > > Jeffrey Vetter > Signal Analysis Division > Rohnert Park, CA Lattice finally shipped v6.0 about 4 months late. 6.0 is totally new (and incompatiable) from previous Lattice compilers, meaning that all libraries you currently use with Lattice C 3.0 through 3.4 will have to be recompiled. Updates are free to 3.4 owners who purchased after June 1, 1989, $90.00 for 3.4 owners prior to June 1, and $115.00 for all other registered users. The total package is impressive. It includes the a CodeView style debugger (CodeProbe), an assembler (LASM), Curses library, a communications library, a graphics library, make, an editor (LSE), overlay linker, and over 1500 pages of documentation. Lattice has tried very hard to establish a large base of third party library support companies. According to the update information packet (which list the companies shipping 6.0 libraries), about 30 vendors currently support Lattice 6.0. As far as optimization quality is concerned, I haven't seen any real figures for comparison yet. Hopefully my update will arrive soon, because I am really interested to see how 6.0 will stand up to Microsoft and Watcom. David R. Cook
bright@Data-IO.COM (Walter Bright) (09/30/89)
In article <1820005@hpsad.HP.COM> jsv@hpsad.HP.COM (Jeff Vetter) writes:
< I recently viewed an ad for Lattice C v6.0.
< They report that Lattice C v6.0 has better perfomance, better
<compatibility, and almost twice the library support of either Microsoft
<or Borland.
They're also rehashing the myth that quantity of library functions is
a measure of quality. I don't know about the quality of their functions.
But I strongly disagree with logic like:
1. Compiler A has 500 library functions.
2. Compiler B has 750 library functions.
Therefore, Compiler B is better than Compiler A.
Any idiot can write 100's of library functions. The trick is to write
a *small* number of quality functions that captures the essence of what is
needed.
This also reminds me of some compiler reviews where they rated how good
the documentation was by the number of pages in the manual!