Content area
Full Text
While other programming languages have come and gone or faded into disuse, C continues to not only earn its keep but attract new users.
Developed at Bell Laboratories in 1972, C originally was created to develop portable operating systems, namely Unix. Thanks to the advanced data manipulation capabilities built into it, C (so named simply because it was the next iteration of a product first called A, and then B) went on to become the popular choice for many other low-level applications, including compilers, interpreters, and even parts of almost all the Microsoft products, including DOS.
What really makes C unique is its equally powerful capability for building high-level systems. Unlike some other languages suited only for one type of programming (such as Cobol or Fortran), C enjoys both a low-level execution efficiency and a high-level vocabulary. The latter makes it adept at developing applications in a range of fields, such as engineering, statistics, and database management.
In this product comparison we focus on six products suitable for compiling C programs: Zortech C++, Borland C++, MetaWare High C, Lattice C, Watcom C, and Microsoft C. The Borland C++ text is a recap of our March 18 stand-alone review (Page 71).
These packages are a far cry from those of a few years ago. Today's products are expected to not only generate good code and adhere to ANSI C standards, but come with a complete set of utilities, add-on libraries, and easy-to-use integrated environments. Today's compilers tend to support multiple platforms -- extended DOS, Windows, and OS/2 -- in addition to DOS. They may also include support for object-oriented programming (OOP), which employs reusable code to make design easier. Code quality has improved over the years, with some compilers featuring sophisticated global optimizers.
The packages compared here satisfy these expectations to varying degrees. All but Lattice C enable Windows development, and all but Borland C ++ and Zortech C ++ support OS/2 develop ment. All the products claim ANSI-C standard compliance (though each implements its own language extensions, some more compatible than others). Most of them tie the development process together with some type of integrated environment.
Both Borland C++ and Zortech C ++ offer OOP capabilities as well as standard C programming functionality. Zortech's...