ANSI C-compliant compiler (info req)

[Eric Giguere]

In article <503 at bnr-fos.UUCP> klash at hobbes.UUCP (Karl Klashinsky) writes:
>I am curious about the existence of ANSI standard-conforming compilers.
>Are there any out there yet?  Are they commercial?
>Is there a GNU ANSI C compiler?

You didn't mention for which machine, though I suppose we can assume it's
Unix-based since no other compilers are really discussed here.... Anyhow,
the Proposed ANSI Standard has yet to become the official ANSI Standard but
that's supposed to come soon... technically though, there are NO ANSI-conformant
compilers.  Most compiler vendors have been upgrading their wares to implement
at least the major additions that the Standard brings to the language.  There
have been articles in various magazines testing compilers for "ANSIness",
see Computer Language about 5 or 6 months ago for one.  

As for those implementations, here's a list of those I know:

   IBM PCs -- Watcom C and Microsoft C.  C on a PC requires a few language
              additions to properly handle the oddities of the 8XX86     
              architecture.

   Amigas -- Lattice C 5.0 is fairly ANSI, Manx C is coming out with an
             ANSIized version this summer.

   Unix -- GNU C supports most ANSI features (haven't tried the nitty
           gritty stuff).

   IBM VM/CMS & MVS -- Waterloo C supports most of the ANSI features.

While a few vendors have gone and implemented the whole draft Standard 
(Watcom C is an example) most have taken a "wait-and-see" attitude towards
the small stuff and only implemented major things like prototyping.  
It'll take a few years before everyone settles down.  Even then some of us
will probably be saddled with "cc" on some hair-brained Unix system...

Eric Giguere                                  268 Phillip St #CL-46
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