Date   : Sun, 05 May 1985 08:08:35 EST (Sun)
From   : Ralph E Droms <droms@PURDUE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Help! I need a better C compiler.

> ...  No discussions of CP/M C compilers would be complete
> without mention of Software Toolworks' C/80.  Very inexpensive, very solid
> compiler, but *very* incomplete.  I bought one two years ago.  At that time
> the rather tiny library was in assembler.  ...
> 
> Melinda Shore 

I recently purchased C/80 V3.1.  The library seems very complete, and
*C* sources are included.  The most significant limitations to V3.1
include:

       Float, double, entry and typedef keywords not implemented
       Float and long constants and arithmetic (Float and long may be
               added with the optional [$29.95??] "mathpak")
       Typedef not implemented
       Bit fields not implemented
       #line directive not implemented

    **  Function calls must have the same number of arguments as the
               called function definition.  (There is a hack to make
               [s]printf work correctly.)
       #define does not allow arguments
       Blocks: declarations are allowed only at the beginning of a
               function

For $49.95, I've found C/80 V3.1 to be a very useful tool.  My biggest
complaint is inherent in the nature of it's recursive descent
algorithm; once an error is discovered, the compiler "discovers" MANY
more errors until it gets itself resynched with the input.

                                       - Ralph

Ralph Droms                                    ihnp4!purdue!droms
445 MATH                                       droms@purdue.arpa
Dept. of Computer Science                      droms@purdue.csnet
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47906