Short:    free optimizing ANSI C compiler (68k/PPC)
Uploader: volker@vb.franken.de (Volker Barthelmann)
Author:   volker@vb.franken.de (Volker Barthelmann)
Type:     dev/c
Version:  0.6a




vbcc - portable ANSI C compiler (c) in 1995-98 by Volker Barthelmann


INTRODUCTION

    vbcc is a free portable and retargetable ANSI C compiler.

    This archive contains the compiler, preprocessor, assembler, linker,
    frontend, message browser, startup codes, C-libraries, amiga.lib
    replacements as well as several other tools (mostly with complete
    source) for 68k as well as PPC.

    This gives you a complete system that allows to develop programs in
    ANSI C as well as Amiga-specific programs (provided you obtain the
    OS-includes) running on 68k or PowerUp-boards.

    All major parts of this distribution (including compiler, preprocessor,
    libraries etc.) have been compiled/assembled with this system and
    apart from the OS-includes everything is included to rebuilt vbcc,
    the libraries and many of the other programs.

    Note that the programs in this archive all run on the 68k even when
    generating PPC-code. There is another archive which contains compilers
    that run on the PPC.


FEATURES

    vbcc..

    - comes with source

    - is free

    - is portable and retargetable

    - comes with a global optimizer that can e.g. do global common
      subexpression elimination, constant propagation, function inlining
      and several other optimizations (but is not yet finished and may
      have some bugs)

    - should be ANSI compliant

    - can generate code that runs on a plain 68000 CPU

    - can generate code optimized for 020/030, 040 or 060

    - can generate code that uses the 68881/2, 68040/060 FPUs directly
      and comes with appropriate math-libraries

    - can generate code that runs on PowerUp-boards

    - generates standard Amiga-68k-objects or PPC-ELF-objects

    - does not need too much memory

    - comes with a message browser

    - comes with a config program

    - offers a lot of error/warning messages that can be turned on/off
      separately


REQUIREMENTS

    To use vbcc you need:

    - an Amiga with OS 2.0 or higher

    - enough RAM (it is possible to translate small programs with 1MB, but
      for larger programs much more will be needed)

    Stuff that is not needed, but may be very useful:

    - harddisk

    - editor

    - make, touch etc.

    - the Amiga OS-includes (they can be found on certain CDs)

    - pipe-command (to use the message browser)

    Also you should know how to use the shell and you should know ANSI C
    (if you need a book I recommend (like everyone) "The C Programming
    Language, Second Edition, ANSI C" by Kernighan and Ritchie).


WHAT'S NEW

    The most important changes since the last public release:

    - several bug-fixes

    - optional peephole-optimizations for PPC added

    - more aggressive loop-unrolling (be careful)

    - pasm is able to convert long branches



Volker Barthelmann                                      volker@vb.franken.de
Kennedy-Ring 39
91301 Forchheim
Germany