Questions tagged [c]
The C programming language: its historical aspects and use on/targetting retro platforms.
67
questions
96
votes
9answers
35k views
Why do C to Z80 compilers produce poor code?
When reading some other questions about compiling C for the Z80,
How much benefit should be expected on a more advanced compiler for z80/r800 based computers?
Native C compiler for Sinclair ZX ...
87
votes
20answers
19k views
Have programming languages driven hardware development?
Programming language development has been influenced by hardware design. One example from this answer mentions how C pointers were, at least in part, influenced by the design of the PDP-11. Has the ...
65
votes
5answers
15k views
Why did C use the -> operator instead of reusing the . operator?
In the C programming language, the syntax to access the member of a structure is
structure.member
However, a member of a structure referenced by a pointer is written as
pointer->member
...
56
votes
4answers
11k views
Why were single quotes ('…') chosen for characters, and double quotes ("…") for strings?
In C, '' is used to denote a character, while "" is used to denote a string. Why was this syntax chosen?
I tried to research this using Wikipedia’s Timeline of Programming Languages along ...
49
votes
5answers
15k views
Why did C have the return type before functions?
In general, there are two types of syntax of defining functions - Something like C, C++, C#, or Java (int functionName(char arg)) vs the ML (and others) tradition of defining the return type after the ...
49
votes
2answers
24k views
Why were the /\ (min) and the \/ (max) operators abandoned in the C language?
In the UNIX V7 version of the C language (but not yet in the V6 version), there were the /\ (min) and the \/ (max) operators. In the source of the scanner part of the compiler,
case BSLASH:
if (...
45
votes
3answers
5k views
How did varargs in C develop?
C has a feature for variadic functions, my understanding is this feature was originally a hack, relying on the simple stack-based parameter passing used by early C implementations and that some time ...
42
votes
7answers
9k views
The history of the NULL pointer
As we know, in C to dereference a null pointer is undefined behaviour. From what I understand, the PDP-7 and the PDP-11 both have ordinary memory that can be written to and read from at address 0.
On ...
36
votes
6answers
5k views
Why is this gcd implementation from the 80s so complicated?
First of all, I hope this is the right place to post this question. I was looking through one of my dad's old programming books from the 80s, and at the back it has a list of utility functions, one of ...
35
votes
5answers
9k views
Why (historically) include the number of arguments (argc) as a parameter of main?
A comment on this answer to a StackOverflow question made me curious. According the C99 standard, section 5.1.2.2.1:
The function called at program startup is named main. The implementation ...
33
votes
2answers
5k views
Why was UNIX never backported to the PDP-7?
Originally, UNIX was written in PDP-7 assembly, and then in PDP-11 assembly, but then when UNIX V4 began to be re-written in C in 1973 and was run mostly on the PDP-11.
So far as I can tell, there ...
32
votes
2answers
8k views
Which tools were used to create the C language?
Was the original C compiler written in some old assembly language and now later flex and bison are used instead?
31
votes
3answers
4k views
Why is the ‘auto’ storage class specifier included in C?
The auto keyword in C seems quite redundant: wherever it makes sense to define a variable with automatic storage duration, it is already the default, so there is no reason to use the keyword. The ...
30
votes
5answers
6k views
How was the C language ported to architectures with non-power-of-2 word sizes?
By the time the C language started to gain popularity outside of the PDP-11 circles (mid-1970s), mainframes with "weird" word sizes, and no capability to address individual bytes efficiently were ...
30
votes
1answer
3k views
Did DOS zero out the BSS area when it loaded a program?
As an example, say we have a DOS MZ EXE file that's around 20 KiB in size. The EXE header contains the value 0x1400 at offset 0x0A indicating that the program is requesting 5,120 paragraphs (or 80 KiB)...
29
votes
9answers
10k views
How did early x86 BIOS programmers manage to program full blown TUIs given very few bytes of ROM/EPROM?
I've always wondered how so much functionality and relative luxuries(CMOS Configuration Utilities. See: https://geekprank.com/bios/ for an example) included with most popular x86 BIOSes could be ...
29
votes
3answers
8k views
Was Dennis Ritchie being too modest in this quote about C and Pascal?
In his 1993 conference proceeding The Development of the C Language, Dennis Ritchie stated
Successors
C and even B have several direct descendants, though they do not rival Pascal in ...
28
votes
10answers
16k views
How to get started writing C for the IBM PC in 1980-81
Suppose it's late 1980 to early 1981, you've got some software you want to write for the IBM PC which will be released later in 1981, want to get started ASAP, and believe C is the right language for ...
26
votes
9answers
5k views
How common was programming in C targeting 8-bit processors in 1983?
How often was C used to program firmware for 8-bit processors in the early 80s?
I'm reverse engineering a firmware binary for a device built around a Hitachi 6303 processor, manufactured in 1983. Even ...
26
votes
1answer
4k views
Where is the ancient preprocessor?
I found the old C compiler from V6, and, though it seems to the modern eye a little different from good, idiomatic C, evidently it uses things like #include and #define, but I do not see how it ...
24
votes
11answers
10k views
Why weren't 80s arcade games programmed in C?
I know many arcade games from the 80s were programmed in 68000 assembly. This carried on probably well into the 90s, even though Motorola C compilers existed in the 80s. Why then weren't C compilers ...
20
votes
2answers
3k views
What was the first C compiler for the IBM PC?
When did a C compiler first become available for the IBM PC? I have fond memories of Turbo C, but that didn't become available until the mid to late eighties; it definitely wasn't the first one. ...
19
votes
10answers
7k views
When if ever was the C language 'int' size altered from the host machine word (register) size into a literal 32 bit size?
From the earliest K&R reference manuals I read, 'int' was synonymous with machine word and it seemed to raise adverse reactions in various user domains. With the UNIX crowd, they minimally ...
19
votes
6answers
4k views
What caused the downfall of Pascal? [closed]
From 1985 to 1990 Borland's Turbo Pascal was at least as popular as C for DOS systems. Turbo Pascal was especially popular because of it's ground breaking BGI graphics interface while C was stalled in ...
18
votes
3answers
5k views
Native C compiler for Sinclair ZX Spectrum
I am looking for a native C compiler for the Spectrum 128. I would like one which:
Has good support for the latest C standard at the time.
Is not limited to compiling ridiculously short source code.
...
18
votes
0answers
929 views
Oxford C compiler for Commodore 64
I kept one floppy from my Commodore 128 (which I used mostly in C64 mode), labelled ‘Oxford C compiler’. It is a 5.25″ floppy. Don't ask me why I kept just this one; probably because I thought I ...
15
votes
1answer
3k views
What was the first C compiler for the Mac?
When did a C compiler first become commercially available for the Apple Macintosh? And what was its name?
The only programming languages that I recall were available for the Mac at launch (January ...
15
votes
1answer
2k views
How would old software using the SIGPIPE signal really work if it were to manage _many_ pipes?
I'm wondering what was the thinking behind having a SIGPIPE signal.
From my own experience, the first thing I do is turn off that signal (SIGIGN) and use the return value of the calls to make sure it ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
How would I reliably detect the amount of RAM, including Fast RAM?
If I was to write an Amiga game, what would be the best/most reliable way to detect how much RAM is actually available?
Looking at Action's Guide to AGA-Fixing!, he mentions Faulty Memory Detection:
...
14
votes
1answer
2k views
How can I set up the Microsoft C compiler to make it prefer immediate-mode push instructions?
I started a project to get a better understanding on how to compile a game for Windows 3.x. I tried to set up the build workflow so that it produce the byte-exact clone of a great open sourced Win16 ...
13
votes
3answers
1k views
Memory models for assembly libraries for Turbo C
Turbo C follows the Intel Memory Model where in Tiny, Small and Compact models calling a function is near but in Medium, Large and Huge models calling a function uses far calls.
If I want to develop ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
Are there any public tools for the TMS34010?
I am interested to learn about the Texas Instruments TMS34010, a 32-bit fully functional CPU with built-in graphics manipulation capabilities, which appeared in Atari's Hard Drivin' arcade boards ...
11
votes
9answers
1k views
Alternatives for TurboVision on DOS
TurboVision was a library by Borland for developing TUI's (Text User Interfaces). It was included with their C++ and Pascal compilers.
Were there any other TUI libraries that supported multiple ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I create a pipe for stdin/stdout of command.com (or 4dos.com) in C or a batch file?
I'm working on a retro project and was trying to create a pipe of stdin/out/err in DOS, but I can't find any functions to to this.
For instance the pipe() function from unistd.h isn't present in ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
Is this the reason why fread/fwrite has 2 `size_t` arguments?
It just came to me that, the C standard I/O functions fread and fwrite are having 2 size_t arguments because of I guess possibly, that on some systems, there may be more memory of which whose size can ...
11
votes
1answer
747 views
cprintf printing invisible characters in C program on VIC 20
I want to compile and run a Hello World program in C with the cc65 compiler for an unexpanded VIC-20 model. For printing I'm using the conio.h function cprintf, since the conio implementation requires ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
What was the name of the object-oriented C language I used in the 1980s on the Mac
I clearly recall working with an object-oriented C derivative on the Mac but I cannot find any definitive references to it.
It was back in the days of System 7 and later System 8. It had both ...
9
votes
1answer
499 views
Which pre-ANSI C compilers allowed a conditional expression as Lvalue?
Soon after learning the C language in the late 80s, before an ANSI C compiler was available on the machines I was using, it occurred to me to check if the following compiles
int a, b, c;
foo() {
(...
8
votes
2answers
672 views
How can I malloc() a block that's guaranteed to lie within a single DMA segment in Turbo C 2.01?
I'm following root42's videos about DOS programming using Turbo C 2.01. I've written my own Soundblaster 1.xx driver following the Creative Labs documentation, and I'm confused about memory allocation....
8
votes
4answers
2k views
Imaging a HDD from DOS over Serial
I have recently fixed an old IBM Clone, which has an MFM hard drive. The PC booted up fine, but then I saw, that a few years back, I have deleted a few important files (probably by mistake). The ...
7
votes
2answers
557 views
Labels in cc65 inline assembler with #define macro
In general, it is possible to use inline assembler statements within C macros, for example
#define toscreencode(C) (__AX__ = (C), \
asm("cmp #$60"),\
...
6
votes
3answers
922 views
Why is modulo operation an operator for integer types but only a function for floating-point ones?
In C, we have the % operator which finds remainder of division. But it's only applicable to integral types. For floating-point types we have to use fmod function from math.h. This makes an impression ...
6
votes
2answers
334 views
Why isn't the 'restrict' keyword useful in SDCC when compiling for Z80 target? [closed]
Context
SDCC claims to support C11.
I use it to write games on Z80 target (for fun and experience).
C11 defines restrict
C11 specifies the restrict keyword on pointers, which can improve generated ...
6
votes
4answers
639 views
C/C++ UI library similar to Visual Basic for DOS
I'm looking for a UI library that offers a similar "experience" to that provided by Microsoft's infamous, Visual Basic for DOS RAD environment.
I mean, it's such a compelling environment, ...
5
votes
3answers
995 views
Allocate 64 KiB in Watcom C 16-bit DOS
I'm trying to allocate a 64 KiB buffer in Watcom C 16-bit DOS. I'm using the "compact" memory model which defines the code segment to be limited to 64 KiB and addressed by near pointers (...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Were some Atari 2600 games written in C?
I thought all Atari 2600 games had been programmed in 6502/6507 assembly language (plus whatever activated the Stella sound system), but at a party recently, a friend indicated that some 2600 ...
5
votes
1answer
305 views
What is the format of the static libraries shipping with legacy Microsoft C for DOS?
I have installed Microsoft C 5.10 on DOS 6.22. It created a 'LIB' directory with static libraries to link against. Now I need to extract the symbols and the code for the functions from them, but can't ...
4
votes
5answers
738 views
Z88DK ZX Spectrum "%f" printf not working
I'm attempting to compile a program in C for the ZX Spectrum using Z88DK.
However, I'm facing an issue when trying to use printf to print out the value of a float.
The code I'm trying to compile:
#...
4
votes
2answers
448 views
ZX Spectrum scroll waiting for user input problem
I'm trying to compile a C program with z88dk for the ZX Spectrum. Using printf(), when the text hits the bottom line of the screen on line 24 the program stops executing until a key is pressed on the ...
3
votes
4answers
788 views
Was there ever a compiler type that was just large enough to contain a memory segment?
From this answer,
Hark back to the days of segmented 16-bit architectures for example: an array might be limited to a single segment (so a 16-bit size_t would do) BUT you could have multiple ...
