C compiler for IBM OS/MVS -- final word

[bet at ecsvax.UUCP]

As discussed previously, we found exactly 2 C compilers, Whitesmiths and AT&T.
Whitesmiths costs $5000, no educational discount (as far as we know). It lacks
stdio -- I/O isn't portable to non-Whitesmiths compilers. We have no need for
this kind of nonsense. The AT&T costs $4000 for the first CPU and $2000 for
each additional, and is STANDARD -- the language manual is K&R. There is
a fantastic educational discount -- $400 per CPU, period. We are an educational
institution, so this is a wonderful price. The AT&T compiler produces assembler
output, and you then run it through the IBM assembler (can be automated in
a catalogued procedure). We talked to a site that was using the AT&T assembler,
and they had uniformly good experiences with it after approximately 6 months
of heavy programming. No problems with bugs, compiles fast, produces good
code, portable and standard, and can be made to link with standard IBM
subroutines (i.e. subroutine libraries for FORTRAN, COBOL, PL/I, etc.).
The only limitation they reported is in the assembler side -- most IBM
assemblers have a limit of a few hundred external symbols, specifically 399 for
the OS/VS assembler. All this *seems* to mean is that really large programs
will have to be broken up into smaller, separately compiled files. The H level
assembler doesn't have these limits, but is less widely used.
We plan to get the AT&T, and I will report any further findings. Otherwise,
this seems to be the end of the C saga. Thanks for all the helpful responses.
					Bennett Todd
					...{decvax,ihnp4,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bet