sdorsey@eng.umd.edu (Suzanne E. Dorsey) (12/04/90)
I've got a Toshiba T1000SE Laptop. I'm looking for a compact, inexpensive C compiler for use with it. I'd like something that will fit on a single 1.44MB floppy and still leave me with room left over for file storage -- so, say, a total of less than 720K optimally. The only two C compilers I've heard of in the DOS world are Turbo C and Microsoft Quick C. I don't want to start a debate over which produces better or faster code, but I would like to know which of these lends itself to use on a laptop, and anyones experiences using them. I'd also like to know if there are any other compilers I might want to consier. Tiny C is out, I do want a full K&R (ANSI would be nice, too) implementation. Thanks in advance for any information. If you post a reply, please send me a copy via email too, as I don't read news very oftent. -- Suzi Dorsey
wayne@csri.toronto.edu (Wayne Hayes) (12/04/90)
I don't know about Quick C, but you can fit everything needed for at least one model (small, medium, compact, large, etc) on a 1.44M floppy, and still have about 300K left over to write code in. Of course if you can, you should put as much as possible on the RAM disk. Both TurboC 2.0 and Quick C's latest version support full ANSI, both are about the same price (with $10), both support tremendous on-line help, and both are very fast at compiling. I have TurboC and have had absolutely no problems with it -- literally zero. I've written lots of code and found no bugs. However, one thing I hear about Quick C that I envy is "incremental compilation". If you have a huge C file, and only change one function, you can set up Quick C to recognize this and only recompile that function, rather than recompile the entire file, as TurboC does. Nevertheless, TurboC is so fast that you usually don't have to worry about this except for very large files. -- "Dad, what should I be when I grow up?" "Honest." -- Robert M. Pirsig, _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence_. Wayne Hayes INTERNET: wayne@csri.utoronto.ca CompuServe: 72401,3525
jdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck) (12/05/90)
Concerning a good C compiler for use on laptops, I have to admit I've never used this one, but there is the Mix Power C compiler which is ANSI C and costs only $20. They also have a good debugger for another $20. This compiler has always been very well spoken of, and everyone agrees it's a steal for the money. I suspect it is fairly compact and should do well on a laptop. They advertize regularly in Byte, if you are interested in ordering. Anyone used Mix C on a laptop? -- John Dudeck "If it's Object Oriented then by jdudeck@Polyslo.CalPoly.Edu definition it's A Good Thing". ESL: 62013975 Tel: 805-545-9549 -- D. Stearns
wayne@csri.toronto.edu (Wayne Hayes) (12/05/90)
I wrote: >I don't know about Quick C, but you can fit everything needed for at least >one model (small, medium, compact, large, etc) on a 1.44M floppy Sheesh, I canceled this article and re-organized it *twice*. Now I read it a day later and realize that "I don't know about Quick C" doesn't tell tell you a damn thing about what I *do* know about, which is Turbo C 2.0. All the stuff I mention thereafter (good speed, no bugs found, excellent compiler, etc) are for Turbo C, but again, it and Quick C are very, very close in features. -- "Dad, what should I be when I grow up?" "Honest." -- Robert M. Pirsig, _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence_. Wayne Hayes INTERNET: wayne@csri.utoronto.ca CompuServe: 72401,3525