[TUHS] History of non-Bell C compilers?

[Tom Lyon]

Thanks, I had not seen that.
More info about UNIX on UNIVAC than I'd seen before. Who did the C compiler
for that?

On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 5:49 PM segaloco via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org> wrote:

> Tom you mentioned non-Bell compilers, but also x86, so I can't resist
> pointing out: https://www.bell-labs.com/usr/dmr/www/otherports/newp.pdf
>
> Among the handful of systems experimented with in these Bell Labs UNIX
> porting experiences is the 8086 which was being used for some sort of
> internal project at the time.  I'm not aware of any artifacts (UNIX nor C)
> from that port, nor if any 32-bit and beyond x86 compiler technology out
> there derives from any of these efforts, but worth mentioning in the
> history of C touching Intel platforms.  I do seem to recall some discussion
> here a while back that implied that the SGS suite may have had its genesis
> in some of these efforts.  The internal Bell Labs version of Release 5.0
> has SGS compilers for several BellMAC targets that I think descend from
> some of this work.  I'd have to go looking for proof though so consider
> that anecdotal for now.
>
> - Matt G.
>
>
> On Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 4:54 PM, Heinz Lycklama heinz at osta.com
> wrote:
>
> Marc is correct. All of ISC C compilers were based
> on Bell Labs C compilers, starting with a C compiler
> for the DEC VAX machine in 1978.
>
> Heinz
>
> On 3/7/2024 4:30 PM, Marc Rochkind wrote:
>
> Larry & Dave, thanks for jogging my memory. I'm pretty sure it was BDS C
> on that z80 Zenith computer. (See my longer post above.)
> I should add that around 1984 I got a copy of PC/IX for the IBM XT,
> directly from Interactive Systems in Santa Monica, where I knew a few
> people. That was true UNIX, System III, I think, and I used it for all of
> the examples for my book "Advanced UNIX Programming," which came out in
> 1985. It, of course, had a real Bell Labs C compiler.
>
> Marc
>
> On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 5:15 PM Charles H Sauer (he/him)
> sauer at technologists.com wrote:
>
> On 3/7/2024 5:52 PM, Warner Losh wrote:
>
> On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 4:24 PM Warner Losh <imp at bsdimp.com
> mailto:imp at bsdimp.com <imp at bsdimp.com>> wrote:
>
> On Thu, Mar 7, 2024, 4:14 PM Tom Lyon <pugs78 at gmail.com
> mailto:pugs78 at gmail.com <pugs78 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> For no good reason, I've been wondering about the early history
> of C compilers that were not derived from Ritchie, Johnson, and
> Snyder at Bell. Especially for x86. Anyone have tales?
> Were any of those compilers ever used to port UNIX?
>
> MIT had several that were used for ka9q and at least the Venix x86
> port. They supported the popular micros of the time. Various
> versions of them survive to the present day.
>
> It's at bitsavers:
>
> https://bitsavers.org/bits/MIT/pc-ip/8086_C_19850820.tar
> https://bitsavers.org/bits/MIT/pc-ip/8086_C_19850820.tar
> and
> https://bitsavers.org/bits/MIT/trix/MIT_Compiler_Tape/
> https://bitsavers.org/bits/MIT/trix/MIT_Compiler_Tape/
>
> are pointers to compilers from the early 80s. Obviously not ANSI-C
> compilers :)
>
> Warner
>
> See, also,
> https://www.program-transformation.org/Transform/CCompilerHistory.html &
> http://www.desmet-c.com/.
>
> When I only had PC/IX on an XT at my office and a PCjr at home, I mostly
> worked with C at home with DeSmet. I still have a couple of 5.25" 360K
> diskettes labeled C-Ware, which I think are DeSmet 2.4.
>
> Charlie
>
> --
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>
> --
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>
>
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