Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!bernie From: bernie@watarts.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.pc Subject: Re: C compilers Message-ID: <2096@watarts.UUCP> Date: Tue, 7-Feb-84 11:29:41 EST Article-I.D.: watarts.2096 Posted: Tue Feb 7 11:29:41 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 04:07:45 EST Lines: 23 There is no clear consensus yet on C compilers. The reviews I've seen (e.g. Byte's, PC Tech Journal's) tend to agree on the following: Lattice (Microsoft or Lifeboat) tends to be the best, though quite expensive ($350-$500 depending who you buy it from) CI-86 (Computer Innovations) is quite good, but is not as good as Lattice. However, CI-86 is about to release a new, souped-up version which claims to beat the pants off the competition. Wait and see if their claims hold water. DeSmet (C-Ware) is amazingly good, especially since it sells for $109. It's fast and produces tight code. All its benchmarks match or beat both CI-86 and Lattice, an impressive feat. This is the compiler I chose (based on reviews) and have no complaints about it. It includes a nice full-screen editor, an assembler that's much, much faster than Microsoft's, a linker, and a library constructor. It also includes a hex dump utility (with source code in C), Life (again, source included), a C prettyprinter (no source) and a simple arcade style game called Bugs! (again, no source). Overall, I give high marks to DeSmet. People I know and whose judgement I trust have bought CI-86 and Lattice, and are equally satisfied. The bottom line is that it's hard to go too far wrong with any of the above three. --Bernie Roehl