'C' for CP/M

[Steve Friedl]

Steve Krupa writes:
> Does anyone out there have any info on 'C' compilers for CP/M 2.2 systems ?

Charles Noren writes:
> Ahhhh, the memories this brings back.
> I first learned C on my old IMSAI-8080 that had CP/M 2.2 with BDS C.
> I bought BDS C for (I think) $150 from Lifeboat Associates (can't
> remember the phone #).  It wasn't a full K&R C, it didn't have float
> or double types, and I think it didn't support struct's -- pretty
> watered down C!

It supported struct, did not support long or static initializers,
no bitfields, #ifdef/#include/#endif didn't work right, <stdio.h>
was quite different, and by today's standards it looks amazingly
primitive.  Be cautious before you newcomers start to laugh at us
old timers -- BDS C was a *wonderful* compiler in its day.

Whitesmith's produced a C compiler that was full C, probably
fully optimizing, but you could grow yourself a coffee tree
[bush?] for a fresh cup in the time it took to do even a small
compile.  It had lots of passes and was truly the most gruesome
compilation experience I have ever had.

BDS C, on the other hand, was probably an order of magnitude
faster than Whitesmiths for compiles.  It kept everything in
RAM, so it spent almost no time reading/writing temp files.
Sure, it had limits that in retrospect were pretty onerous,
but on my dual-floppy Z80 it would outcompile a VAX-11/780 by
a fair margin.

It is amazing how tolerant one becomes when one is faced with
a choice such as above.  Leor Zolman, I salute you (I still have
my compiler!).

     Steve

-- 
Stephen J. Friedl, KA8CMY / I speak for me only / Tustin, CA / 3B2-kind-of-guy
+1 714 544 6561  / friedl at mtndew.Tustin.CA.US  / {uunet,attmail}!mtndew!friedl

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