Re: Future of ELKS

[David Given <dg@cowlark.com>]

Michael McConnell wrote:
[...]
> Minix actually uses the Amsterdam Compiler Kit, and is invoked as 'cc'.

So it does --- I could have sworn it used bcc!

Having managed to track down a copy of the ACK 
(http://www.cs.vu.nl/vakgroepen/cs/ack.html), I notice that it actually 
seems to be a really quite sophisticated cross-platform cross-language 
compiler suite. Like a gcc-light.

It supports generating code for the PDP-11, VAX, 68000, SPARC, 8080, 
8086, 80386, Z80, Z8000 and the NS16032. It understands Modula-2, K&R C, 
Fortran, Pascal, Basic, Occam, and --- get this --- *ANSI C*.

I haven't got it working yet, but has anyone used its ANSI C mode? How 
well does it work? Would this be suitable for a self-hosted ANSI C 
compiler for the 8086? A brief glance at the license would seem to 
indicate it's OSI compatible, but IANAL.

(The other thing I'm wondering about --- since the ACK has been around 
for years, and was well-known back in the early days of ELKS, why did 
ELKS standardise on bcc rather than the ACK?)

-- 
dg@cowlark.com --- http://www.cowlark.com
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