Recommend a C compiler?

[2014_5001 at uwovax.uwo.ca]

In article <3642 at ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu>, SMITHJ at ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu writes:
> In article <660054 at hpclwjm.HP.COM>, walter at hpclwjm.HP.COM (Walter Murray) writes:
> 
>> I know C but am a total novice in the world of PC compatibles.
>> Which compiler should I buy for my home use?  I want good quality,
>> a commitment to ANSI C...

Turbo C.  It seems to have a better ANSI C compatibility than Microsoft. 
(Maybe this has changed under 5.0--I only found an incompatibility in 4.0).

> 
> My personal favorite is Microsoft QuickC which is an integrated environment 
> (contrary to a previous poster's claim that TurboC was the only one).
> I prefer it over Borland's TurboC because I have been unable to find a way to
> use external object code libraries which is very easy to do in QuickC.
> 

Perhaps you reviewed an old version of TurboC.  If you have the manuals, you
find that the project facility allows a beautifully elegant way of linking in
both .LIB's and .OBJ's.

The QuickC user-interface is driven towards a mouse.

>> ...responsiveness in fixing bugs, and good
>> documentation.  I expect to be doing a variety of applications...
> 
> Microsoft provides you with a number to call where they have technicians answer 
> any questions you might have.  They also provide bug free updates free of charge
> and full updates for redused prices.
> The documentation is very well written although not as well cross-referenced as 
> I's like.
> 

Turbo C provides online hypertext manuals.

>> ...including graphics.
> The graphics suppport is not bad and is built in.
> 

It does not support many display adapters.  Glancing through the manual, all I
could find was CGA/EGA/VGA support.  Where is Herc, ATT6300?

The BGI graphics interface is superb in that you can take user drivers, so that
your programs will be compatible with display adapters that don't exist as yet.


-- 
Alexander Pruss, at one of: Department of Applied Mathematics, Astronomy,
Mathematics, or Physics                     University of Western Ontario 
pruss at uwovax.uwo.ca         pruss at uwovax.BITNET          A5001 at nve.uwo.ca 
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Nothing made by Microsoft is good.  Who would write an operating system for
an Intel CPU?  Codeview bites, MeSsDOS is not a real operating system,
Microsoft C optimizes by deleting code, Microsoft MAKE doesn't take Makefiles,
Microsoft FORTRAN optimizes IO, not number crunching, and is otherwise totally
featurless, and most of all:  Bill Gates dresses funny.
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The reason Microsoft made any money is because they went to bed with IBM.
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IBM about Intel:  I liked the 8088 so much, I bought the company...
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The Z80 bank switching is better than 8088 segmentation.  Now try the 6502:
that's a real processor.
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The only thing wrong with the 386/486 is 8086 compatibility.
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The opinions expressed are those of the inhabitants of P&A123B, and not the
Department.