Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unm-cvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxb!mhuxn!mhuxm!mhuxj!houxm!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!lanl!unmvax!unm-cvax!cs2534ai From: cs2534ai@unm-cvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.apple Subject: Manx's ProDOS C: My tale of woe Message-ID: <243@unm-cvax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 11-Feb-85 22:21:50 EST Article-I.D.: unm-cvax.243 Posted: Mon Feb 11 22:21:50 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Feb-85 03:14:59 EST Reply-To: cs2534ai@unm-cvax.UUCP (David Thomas) Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque Lines: 61 << pilot light on (very mild flame) >> Just in case anybody out there is thinking of getting a C language package for the Apple ][, I thought I'd throw in some info I acquired the hard way... About a year ago, I decided I would like to get a C development package for my Apple //e system, and Manx's Aztec C65 looked good to me. I wanted a package that would run under ProDOS because I planned to do some heavy-duty development and ProDOS was better, newer, faster, etc. When I called Manx, I discovered that the ProDOS version was not available 'yet', but would be in 'about a month'. The price would be $299, which I thought was quite fair, and their policy on development pleased me to death. Summarized, it is: "Develop all you want, and if you sell it, more power to you. We don't want a cut." The reason for that nice policy is that Aztec C will compile your C source into native 6502 code, which you can run without a "runtime" program, which would be copyrighted (apple pascal programs require "runtime pascal" which must be licensed). WELL, the month went by, and I called again. "Another coupla months." This went on and on. I made the first call back in March 1984. By November things were "winding down" and the package would be out "by the end of the year". In December the latest scoop was "oh, end of December or beginning of January" . . . . . . . . Y A W N ! TO THIS DAY the ProDOS-based C package is not available! Their girl knows me well by now, too! I'm the jerk who calls once a month and expects a package that has been advertised for a year to be available. (I got her good once with "Okay, what's your latest lie?" :-) ) I have examined the DOS 3.3 version of the package, and it is excellent! I just don't want to develop under DOS, and I feel awful because I know that if this package only existed it would be the best one available and well worth my $299. However, had I known it would be this long from the start, instead of being teased and put off for many months, I would have taken my money elsewhere, and I have now resolved not to do any business with Manx, ever (the DOS copy I played with was pirated! Want one? :-) ). I just thought I'd let everyone in netland know about that. I WOULD recommend the DOS 3.3 package, if I didn't hate Manx so much. Any comments/questions/recommendations for other C packages would be appreciated. -DT [Disenchanted in the Land of Enchantment] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ::::::::: ___________HOME___________ ::::: ::::: _____________WORK_______________ David B. Thomas ::___ ___:: Rocky Mountain Computers (Apple) 1406 Calle Del Ranchero NE ::\_*|-|_*/:: 2109 Wyoming Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87106 :: \_/ :: Albuquerque, NM 87112 (505) 266-1016 : (___) : (505) 292-2775 that's 292-APPL :_______: UUCP: {{purdue,cmcl2,ihnp4}!lanl,ucbvax}!unmvax!unm-cvax!cs2534ai --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We're prepared to believe you."