Re: Apple II C compiler

[et472@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black)]

Chris Morse (chris@cosmicwolf.com) writes:
> On 26 Aug 2003 15:23:59 -0700, aiiadict@hotmail.com (Rich J.) wrote:
> 
>>Hello group,
>>
>>I am getting bored of 6502 and BASIC and I'd like to try a C compiler
>>for the Apple II.  Which ones are the best?
> 
> If you want to develop in C on a PC, compiling to 6502 code for the
> Apple, the best solution is CC65 C Compiler.
> 
> 	http://www.cc65.org
> 
> I don't know of any easily-available 6502 C compilers that will
> actually run on an Apple IIe.  Aztec C is one, and I think I have .DSK
> images for it, but no documentation; the "shell" was a bit cryptic
> when I tried it.
> 
> For myself, I use the CC65 C compiler/assembler/linker and develop on
> the PC side and test using an emulator (AppleWin 1.10.4)
> 
> // CHRIS
> 
I first got a C Compiler for OS-9 that I was running on my Radio Shack
Color Computer.  It was pretty much a waste of money, because I found
I wasn't willing to wait around while things compiled.  I was pretty
good assembly language, and the idea of generating fairly large programs
for simple tasks didn't attract me much.

I tried some compiling last month, deciding it was time to learn some
C, on this 200MHz Pentium, and the compiling was almost instantaneous
(well, they were simple programs).  That practically puts it on
the level of an interpreter, where you can try things and if it
doesn't work, try again.  I realize that those long compile times
did get in the way of me pursuring C.

So yes, no matter what C compilers might be available for the Apple II,
I think it makes sense to do the compiling on a faster computer (that
most people do have at this point).  Maybe after some of the learning
curve is out the way, then one could move to an Apple based compiler.

   Michael