Re: Announcing The Whole Meal Deal - AppleX Aztec C65 ProDOS 8 cross-compiler 2013 Update

[Riccardo <rigreco.grc@gmail.com>]

It could be useful to me ;-)

Ric.



Il giorno martedì 9 aprile 2013 04:34:37 UTC+2, Bill Buckels ha scritto:
> As promised! A less than modest C cross-Compiler for the Apple IIe!
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.aztecmuseum.ca/AppleX.zip
> 
> 
> 
> No installation necessary. Just unzip anywhere that MS-DOS (or DOSBox) runs 
> 
> and you are ready to go! Comes complete with Windows XP shortcuts, and 
> 
> should run out-of-the-box as it does on my Windows XP box!
> 
> 
> 
> It has been several years since the AppleX cross-compiler distribution of 
> 
> Aztec C65 for the Apple IIe and ProDOS 8 was updated. Much has been added... 
> 
> This update was just completed within the hour... and some additional 
> 
> documentation will still be added in the coming days, but it is otherwise 
> 
> complete. Before I pass-out from exhaustion, here is a brief synsopsis of 
> 
> what we have here, and please feell free to download this and make sure I 
> 
> haven't messed-up royally... feedback welcome! Who knows when I'll have time 
> 
> to update this again...
> 
> 
> 
> Overview
> 
> 
> 
> This is a "customized version" of the Manx Aztec C65 Version 3.2b MS-DOS 
> 
> cross-development environment for an Apple IIe with 128K of memory running 
> 
> PRODOS 8. It is targetted specifically at writing PRODOS SYS programs, and 
> 
> programs that run under the Aztec C ProDOS Unix-like Shell. Programs are 
> 
> written and compiled on the IBM-PC and then moved to an Apple IIe or to an 
> 
> emulator disk image to be run. A modified Graphics link library is provided 
> 
> which has been extended to support the use of bit-mapped graphics images, 
> 
> sound routines, and the use of auxiliary memory. The build environment has 
> 
> been configured to run under Windows XP and a pre-configured shortcut has 
> 
> been provided for this purpose as well as a make utility program and some 
> 
> additional programs to be used in conjunction with make.
> 
> 
> 
> Release Notes Summary
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> 
> 
> Additional Directory Structure - AppleX\PROGRAMS
> 
> 
> 
> For the AppleX 2013 update, I have separated the directory structure for 
> 
> non- trivial Graphics and other non-trivial Demo Programs and placed them 
> 
> under AppleX\PROGRAMS. None of these were ever included in AppleX before 
> 
> now, and all have been written since late Fall of 2012 with the exception of 
> 
> a couple of the utilities and some demos from the Apple33 DOS 3.3 Aztec C65 
> 
> cross-compiler distribution. Those have been completely rewritten and are 
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> much improved.
> 
> 
> 
> Graphics Mode Support Extended
> 
> 
> 
> AppleX now Supports LGR - Lo-Res, DLGR - Double Lo-Res, HGR - Hi-Res Color 
> 
> and Monochrome, DHGR - Double Hi-Res Color and Monochrome. 4 of the 
> 
> subdirectories in the AppleX\PROGRAMS directory are related to the 4 main 
> 
> graphics modes of the Apple II (see above), and each contains source code, 
> 
> programs, utilities, documentation, and disk images related to working with 
> 
> the AppleX Aztec C65 distribution and Graphics on the Apple II.  AppleX 
> 
> provides image loaders, line drawing routines, and font routines and so 
> 
> forth for all 4 modes.
> 
> 
> 
> And most importantly (to me), AppleX comes with documented methodology and 
> 
> tools to aquire bit-mapped graphics from a variety of sources including 
> 
> Windows, Apple II Native Format, and Hybrid Sources like
> 
> AppleWin Screen Captures of running programs that make obtaining graphics 
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> for use in your own programs easy if not too easy.
> 
> 
> 
> Robust Documentation Much Expanded
> 
> 
> 
> Please read the source code and documentation, and run the demos and 
> 
> programs you find in each AppleX\PROGRAMS\subdirectory as well as any 
> 
> documentation you find laying about for more information.
> 
> 
> 
> The immensely expanded source code in the AppleX\GRAPHICS directory is also 
> 
> a good reference for more information. This is the source code for the G2 
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> (Graphics) library, which also includes the source code from the original 
> 
> Aztec C65 G.lib.
> 
> 
> 
> Comprehensive documentation for Aztec C itself and its original toolchain 
> 
> has been available in pdf format user's manuals from the Aztec C website at 
> 
> www.aztecmuseum.ca for a number of years now. But with this release of 
> 
> AppleX and with many pdf "tutorials" and users manuals being very much 
> 
> expanded-on especially for Apple II graphics programming, new life has been 
> 
> breathed into this old compiler, taking its capabilities far beyond the 
> 
> Apple II Community's "Retro-Compiler" perception... until AppleX, all that 
> 
> was available was a previous ProDOS native-mode shell version that does not 
> 
> even support creating floating point SYS programs, so if this perception is 
> 
> not clearly incorrect, it is somewhat.
> 
> 
> 
> When it comes to documentation and usability Aztec C more than holds its 
> 
> own, even today, 25 or so years later, and AppleX more than compensates for 
> 
> whatever inefficiencies it mat have by providing a stable
> 
> and feature-rich environment which includes the documentation by Manx 
> 
> Software (available from the website at www.aztecmuseum.ca) supplemented 
> 
> with what AppleX provides.
> 
> 
> 
> Tools and More Tools
> 
> 
> 
> The AppleX\TOOLS directory also contains many utilities. Some are also 
> 
> related to Graphics, but some were written long ago. The utilities in the 
> 
> subdirectories under the AppleX\PROGRAMS directory have all been
> 
> recently written, and are more specifically targetted at today's working 
> 
> environment.
> 
> 
> 
> ProDOS Directory Services
> 
> 
> 
> The AppleX\PROGRAMS directory also contains a subdirectory called LISTDIR 
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> which demonstrates and implements G2 library routines related to reading 
> 
> ProDOS disk catalogues and finding files and so forth.
> 
> 
> 
> Command Line and Unix-Like Programs for ProDOS
> 
> 
> 
> Another expansion of the AppleX distribution is the production of programs 
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> that run under the Aztec C Shell for ProDOS 8. Shell Versions of SYS 
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> programs, which are PCODE mixed with native 6502 code. allow command line 
> 
> arguments and wildcard expansion and so forth, while being able to run at 
> 
> the same speed of execution as their SYS program counterparts in time 
> 
> critical operations like graphics and floating point calculations.
> 
> 
> 
> Previous Updates and Brief History
> 
> 
> 
> Since making AppleX available I have kept adding to it.
> 
> 
> 
> Website
> 
> 
> 
> I also built a website called www.aztecmuseum.ca for AppleX and many other 
> 
> Aztec C compilers for other platforms, and time permitting I have done my 
> 
> best to keep the website up to date.
> 
> 
> 
> Full Blown Aztec C Projects with Source Code
> 
> 
> 
> After building the website, I made selected Full-Blown non-trivial 
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> "Projects" in Aztec C65 part of the distribution. They are in the PROJECTS 
> 
> directory. Two of these projects (METOO and TIME) use overlays
> 
> and auxiliary memory extensively and should prove informative. I also have 3 
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> additional overlay projects that I will someday make available if time 
> 
> permits.
> 
> 
> 
> Mixing the Old with the New
> 
> 
> 
> As I have done in the 2013 update with the PROGRAMS subdirectory,  I kept 
> 
> these projects in the PROJECTS directory, separate from the SAMPLES 
> 
> directory that comprised the first AppleX distribution.
> 
> 
> 
> I also provided DOSBox support for Aztec C65 and included this with AppleX, 
> 
> not that it took me much work. With Windows 7 displacing WIndows XP, it 
> 
> turns-out this was a good idea. Along the way I also tested in
> 
> Ubuntu in another DOS emulator, without problem.
> 
> 
> 
> I have discovered through all this that there doesn't seem to be anything I 
> 
> can't do with this old compiler...
> 
> 
> 
> Apple33 Aztec C65 for DOS 3.3
> 
> 
> 
> Along the way, I also created a smaller distribution of Aztec C65 for 
> 
> building Apple II DOS 3.3 programs.
> 
> 
> 
> Then for a couple of years or so, until Fall of 2012, I didn't do much with 
> 
> AppleX or Apple33.
> 
> 
> 
> Permission to Distribute Aztec C65
> 
> 
> 
> Someone pointed-out to me at some point that I have never indicated in this 
> 
> distribution that I have permission to distribute Aztec C65. This is simply 
> 
> because I never updated the read me.
> 
> 
> 
> Copyright Clarification - Copyright and Conditions of Use
> 
> 
> 
> Harry Suckow (the Copyright holder for Aztec C) has given permission to 
> 
> redistribute Manx Software Systems discontinued Aztec C compilers for 
> 
> now-obsolete platforms.Your use must be Fair as it applies to Manx's
> 
> Copyright on these compilers. They are not for sale at any price!
> 
> 
> 
> Bill Buckels
> 
> bbuckels@mts.net