gnu@toad.com (12/06/89)
Gcc is written for a 32-bit, large address space environment.
The code thinks nothing of allocating data structures ON THE STACK
that are bigger than the entire MS-DOS address space.
You might be able to build a cross-compiler that would run on a real
computer and produce code for your toy computer but it would be a
significant amount of work. Go for it if that's what you want. By
the time you're done, you will probably have a 586 in your wristwatch.
That's why the GNU project hasn't bothered with small machine support.
There is a small, free C compiler called Sozobon C that runs on Amigas
and Ataris and was portable enough to run on Unix for me. It doesn't
generate 8088 code either. But it is designed to run in a smaller
environment and would make a better starting point than gcc. This
compiler was posted to comp.sources.atari.st and comp.sources.amiga in
four shar files. Get it from the archives of those groups on uunet or
elsewhere. I've enclosed the announcement of the Atari version below.
Please stop bothering info-gcc (which is for ANNOUNCEMENTS, not questions).
If you want to discuss this, read the newsgroup gnu.misc.discuss.
John Gilmore
Announcing
The Sozobon C Compiler
A new freeware C compiler has been developed by Sozobon, Limited and is
being distributed through bulletin board systems, networks of various
kinds, and by direct mail. The package was written by Johann Ruegg, Tony
Andrews, and Joe Treat and includes the following features:
* Full K&R compiler supporting: bit fields, structure assignment,
structure parameters and return values, enumerations, and floating
point.
* Full source code available at no additional cost.
* Compiler includes: front-end, optimizer, assembler, and linker.
* Code generation averages 5% to 15% better than Alcyon.
* Uses Dale Schumacher's dLibs runtime library (version 1.2) for
runtime support.
* Generates Alcyon-compatible object modules and libraries.
* A complete package, including utilities like: cc, ar, size, nm, and
an enhanced version of a PD make program.
* Includes a utility that removes local symbols from Alcyon libraries,
reducing their size by around 30%.
The entire system is being distributed as freeware. If you receive this
announcement, but are unable to find the compiler, you can order it from
us directly by sending $10 (checks payable to Tony Andrews) to:
Tony Andrews
5902E Gunbarrel Ave.
Boulder, CO 80301
You'll receive one double-sided or two single-sided disks containing the
compiler (source code and executables), documentation, and version 1.2
of dLibs (includes source). Be sure to specify single or double-sided
disks and include your full return address. The $10 charge covers shipping
and handling only. The product itself is free. You're encouraged to make
copies for friends, upload it to bulletin boards, or put it in the disk
library of your local user's group. Help us get the compiler distributed,
so fewer people have to pay $10 for it, and we don't spend the rest of our
lives copying floppies.
Tony Andrews
10/22/88
Sozobon, Limited
[Note that the floppies he's talking about are ATARI floppies, not MSDOS.
-- gnu]