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From: haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS])
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Which C compiler to buy?
Message-ID: <602@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Nov-84 19:43:55 EST
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.602
Posted: Fri Nov  2 19:43:55 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 03:22:38 EST
References: <179@desint.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 41

< Nami nami nami ... >

> A friend is about to buy a C compiler for his IBM PC.  Anybody have any
>  advice?  Mail responses, please;  if there is enough interest I'll summarize
> to the net.

I know I *should* respond by mail, but I just got my DeSmet 'C', and
I'm getting all excited about it.

The DeSmet compiler costs $109, and is a full implementation of 'C'.
It's fast, too; compared to my friend's Microsoft compiler (version
1.xx), compile and link times are down by about 50%.  Execution time
is up about 5% (non-disk intensive programs).  The editor is quite
good; it's sort of like vi, (alas, not quite), and is quite fast.

DeSmet will only use 64K for code and 64K for stack/heap/data.  They
do supply a set of functions for doing intersegment copies, though.
The library is missing some higher-level file i/o (which I never use,
anyway), but includes a great number of PC bios and screen utility
routines, much more so than Microsoft.  The module sizes are down by a
lot, too, partly due to the library, I guess.  The librarian can only
add modules to the library, and there are some other restrictions, but
it also includes an assembler, with inline code option, and several
half-decent games.

I think this is by far the best value in 'C' compilers for the PC.
(It runs on compatibles, too --- mine is a Hyperion).  There is also a
symbolic debugger (optional, $50) and a Microsoft-format linker ($30).
Delivery is fast -- mine was here in a week and a half, all the way
from Sunny California to Canada's Winter Wonderland...


Tom Haapanen		University of Waterloo		(519) 744-2468

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