Review of DeSmet C compiler for IBM-PC

[bet at ecsvax.UUCP]

The DeSmet C Development Package costs approx. $110 (I don't know exact
current prices), supports full K&R C with stdio, and includes:

	compiler -- 2 passes, the first loads the second as an overlay
	assembler -- loaded by pass 2 of compiler to translate intermediate
		     assembler into object unless you give the compiler the
		     "-a" switch. Useable as a separate assembler.
	linker -- assembler (and therefore compiler) produces linkable
		  object modules (not Microsoft standard)
	library manager
	listing program that produces a cross reference
	GOOD screen-oriented editor

A lot of bang for the buck.  Standard I/O *is* standard, and implements all
the common functions.  The compiler is fast, produces efficient code, and
hasn't demonstrated any bugs in a *lot* of C programming. To wit: an alpha-beta
search othello program, approx. 16K of *dense* C before comments (written for
a competition) was able to search to four moves ahead,  examining as many as
2000 boards in mid-game, in the 30 second time limit.  A natural-language
program, written and developed on a PDP-11/70, approx. 80K of source.  The PDP
(node "duke") got unhealthy, and started crashing regularly.  Moved the project
to an IBM PC/XT.  The code compiled with exactly two kinds of changes required:

	1) the DeSmet compiler treats names as significant to 31 characters,
	   instead of 8, so it caught some typographical errors in the ends of
	   long names
	2) the linker (*not* the compiler) is case-insensitive, so a few
	   external names that were only distinct by case had to be renamed

The resulting program ran slower than on the 11/70, by a factor of about 2.
Still useable.

For information contact:		C Ware Corporation
					970 W. El Camino Real
					Suite 4
					Sunnyvale, CA 94097

					(408) 736-6905

Disclaimer: I have no connection with this establishment, except as a satisfied
customer.
					Bennett Todd
					...{decvax,ihnp4,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bet