[net.followup] followup on request for VAXed C to 6502 cross-compiler.

lgondor (11/18/82)

Here are some of the substantive replies to my inquiry seeking C to 6502
cross compilers running on a VAX under UN*X.  Sorry for the rather long
delay to follow up, but comp sci is not my full-time occupation.  A summary
of my findings is at the end of this article.

>From hcr!watmath!teklabs!tekcrd!davec Fri Oct 15 02:18:32 1982
Date: Thu Oct 14 19:48:32 1982
To: utcsrgv!text
Date: 14 Oct 1982 at 1951-PDT (Thursday)
Subject: 6502 Cross C Compiler

There's a commercial one available from Advanced Digital in
Nashville, Tenn.  I haven't heard of any other 6502 C Cross
compilers.

Dave Clemans
Tektronix



>From utzoo!decvax!harpo!zeppo!whuxk!houxi!houxa!houxf!hoa350 Wed Oct 20 16:15:30 1982
Date: Wed Oct 20 13:05:28 1982
   I know that Advanced Digital Products has developed a C cross-compiler
for the 6502.It is currently running on the PDP-11 and VAX computers,under
UNIX,RT-11 and VMS.
                         Renee Levy  (houxf!hoa350)



[ Advanced Digital does indeed have a cross-compiler for $1750 (bin dist)
  supporting full C but for the following features:
	- no floating point (since there is no fp hardware on the 6502)
	- no 32 bit ints
	- no bit fields in structures (there being no bit operations in
	  the assembly language)

  The compiler produces 6502 assembly language.  Distribution is either
 magtape or floppy (rx0[12]).  The person to contact is:

 Art Owen
 Advanced Digital Products, Inc.
 1701 21st Avenue South
 Nashville, Tennessee
 37212
 Ph: (615) 383-7520.
 Telex: 4990476

					--lgondor ]

>From utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!TANG@MIT-OZ@MIT-MC Wed Nov  3 04:43:17 1982
Date:  2 Nov 1982 2056-EST
From: ucbvax!TANG@MIT-OZ@MIT-MC
Subject: Re: C -> 6502 cross-compiler
Message-Id: <8210030203.4375@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.ARPA>
Received: by UCBVAX.BERKELEY.ARPA (3.227 [10/22/82])
	id A04359; 2-Nov-82 18:03:44-PST (Tue)
To: decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!text@UCB-C70
In-Reply-To: Your message of 1-Nov-82 2239-EST

Well, It's just a hack of Ron Cain's small-c compiler, which was in
Doctor Dobb's Journal a couple of years ago.  It's fairly well
adapted to the ATARI micro -- would probably take a couple of weeks
to get it running on the VAX.  You might be better off to get the original
small C compiler from SRI-KL:<MICRO> and adapting it.

Mine is for sale for about $80 (source and object) from the ATARI Program
Exchange, this December.  Your Apple II friends might want to look at the
OSS product -- C/65 -- which is almost the same thing, but runs on an
Apple II.

[ C/65 from Optimized Systems Software is written in 6502 assembler, which
  makes it hard to port to a VAX
					--lgondor ]

I don't have any of this compiler on the net -- sorry.
-------

[ Richard Carling (rtc@CCA-UNIX) is presently attempting to port
  Jack Palevich's compiler to UN*X.  I do not know what measure of success
  he has met.  I am investigating the feasability of hanging a new
  back end on pcc to generate 6502 assembler modules.  I have no
  experience with writing compilers, but it looks like at least
  a couple of month's work with no guarantee that I can get a working
  compiler that has floating point (That's one of the nifties I'd like
  to have).  It appears to require on the order of 2000 lines of code.

	In summary, if you have the bucks, go to Advanced Digital;
  if you can live with a minimal implementation, get Ron Cain's
  small-c compiler and if you can spare the time and effort, try
  hacking a new machine-dependent back end to pcc.

			Many thanx to those who responded,
			Les Gondor
			(..!decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!lgondor)

								]