[net.micro] Host based micro sw dev environments

Gene@sri-unix (07/17/82)

I am looking for software development tools for micros such as the
8086, 68000, and PDP-11/23.  The tools should run on a mini or
mainframe such as Prime, VAX, IBM, or DEC-20.

The language of choice is C; so the critical item for the development
environment is a cross compiler for C targeted for the above micros.
Other nice elements would be emulators, debuggers, and the such that
run on the development host machines as well as on the micros them
selves.

The target operating systems are DEC's POS (nee RSX-11) for the
Professional 325 and 350, MS-DOS for the IBM PC and etc., CPM-86, MPM,
and Unix on the 68000.

Such an integrated software development environment probably isn't
presently available.  But surely some of the major pieces are here
now.  (I hope.)

By the way, what are the 'big boys' doing for large scale software
development?  Surely places like Microsoft and Digital Research are
not using the crummy programming environments currently available on
the popular micros to produce major new systems, particularly when the
systems are targeted for more than one family of micro CPU and OS
combination.

Gene Autrey-Hunley
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Rick@sri-unix (07/17/82)

Hi --

        Large-scale software development  environments  like  you
would  prefer  to  use  certainly do exist, and, to my knowledge,
they are in the public domain.  While I was going to Grad  School
at  the U of Illinois, Urbana, one of the other grad students had
designed a "universal cross-assembler" which ran  on  our  DEC-10
under  TOPS-10.  This program, written in PASCAL, would accept as
input a "universal" assembly language source file and the name of
a  processor target file and assemble the source for the particu-
lar target.  We would then download from the 10 to the target and
run  (Intel  Hex  Format object).  When I left, the program would
assemble for the 8080, Z80, 6800, 6502, TI9900,  and  a  host  of
other micros (I think 10-15 micros total).

        You may wish to contact the Dept of CS at U  of  Illinois
for details.

                                        Rick

Rick@sri-unix (07/17/82)

When I said "they are in the public domain", I obviously meant "some ...".
The U of Illinois cross-assembler was just one which I believe is public.

					Rick

BILLW@Sri-Kl@sri-unix (07/17/82)

MIT has done up the portable C compiler for the 8086 and the 68000.
There is a good portion of an MSDOS library for the 8086 version
(maybe there is even more now).  the 68000 cross compiler is what
stanford is using for software development on the SUN processor.
You need a unix license for these, contatct Chris Terman (CJT) at MIT
for mor details.

Gene:  TSC at SRI has versions of this software running on their
	VLSI vax (SRI-JOYCE).  See /usr/src/cmd/c68000, and/or
	probably talk to Gus Roemers about an account.

Enjoy
BillW