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From: "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnohavenotit.cnm>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer,alt.os.development
Subject: Re: Smaller C compiler
Date: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 10:47:42 -0500
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On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:31:18 -0500, Auric__ <not.my.real@email.address>  
wrote:
> Alexei A. Frounze wrote:

>> [snip]
>> As for #include, you can use it, it's supported (you can find #include
>> "cgx86.c" inside smlrc.c), but you'll have to provide some include file
>> of yours as there's no standard library coming with the compiler as of
>> yet (no stdio.h, etc).
>
> Yeah, I noticed that. I *strongly* recommend moving your implementation  
> of stdlib functions out of the compiler ASAP. The further you get with
> this project, the more of a PITA it will be to do so down the road.
>

No...

Alexei probably needs some C library functions to be internal in order
to bootstrap the C compiler when no C library is present.  That's typical
of any C compiler that can bootstrap itself completely, even GNU's GCC.

I frequently code some of my programs to only use ANSI C without a
C library, or ANSI C and only <stdio.h> when I need features like
memory allocation (using file I/O...).  In which case, I'll need a
few functions from the "missing" C libraries implemented internally.
The most common other one IMO would be <string.h>.  You really don't
need the remainder of the C library, if you know what you're doing.

A better solution would be to make the functions conditionally included
if Alexei has enough preprocessor support in his Smaller C compiler:

#define STDIOH
#ifddef STDIOH
#include <stdio.h>
#else
... stdio.h functions
#endif

Or, if only rudimentary preprocessor support is available:

/* stdio.h */
#if 1
/* disable here, enable below to bootstrap */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#endif

/* stdio.h bootstrap functions */
/* string.h bootstrap functions */
#if 0
... stdio.h bootstrap functions ...
... string.h bootstrap functions ...
#endif

FYI, if you remember Alexei, Steve Dubrovich wrote a file I/O library
for his updates to and modified verion of Ron Cain's Small C.
He wrote both a CP/M version for for DOS, and an Int 21h version.
They're on his website in his various projects:

http://www.project-fbin.hostoi.com/index.htm

I used the CP/M version for my modifications to Ron Cain's Small C.
It worked just fine in a Windows SE DOS console window, but I couldn't
get it to work properly in real-mode MS-DOS v7.10.  The Int 21h version
was setup differently, more for Steve's variant than for Ron Cain's
original version.  So, I haven't used it.


Rod Pemberton