From: rbs{at}snippets.org
To: c_echo{at}yahoogroups.com

Quoting Charles Angelich:

> RBS> Datalight C (the precursor to Zortech and later Symantec
> RBS> C/C++) also fit on a single 5-1/4" floppy. I still have it
> RBS> around here, but I'm not sure if the only 5-1/2" drive on
> RBS> my family's network still works.
>
> Never used any of the above mentioned compilers but I recall
> Zortech being well thought of at one time.

Oddly enough, although Zortech's claim to fame was as the first PC C++ compiler,
it never was a really great C++ compiler - but it was a world-class ANSI C
compiler. After Symantec bought Zortech, the C++ compiler got noticeably
better, while the C compiler degraded slightly. It still worked great and was
faster than Borland, but C programs suffered some code bloat when compared to
the Zortech days. Today the same compiler is the free Digital Mars compiler now
that Symantec dropped out of the C/C++ compiler business. Amazingly, it's still
primarily the work of one very gifted man, Walter Bright. It wasn't until the
Symantec days that anyone actually touched any of the actual compiler code but
him, and now he's back, being the owner of Digital Mars.

I've been a happy customer and user ever since the Datalight days. During the
height of SNIPPETS activity, I had a half dozen compilers installed on my
machine, but it was always the compiler of choice for personal projects, being
compatible with MSC, at least as fast as Borland, and usually producing the
smallest and fastest executables. MSC, Borland, Watcom, Mix, and gcc each had
something to recommend them, but none struck the same balance as Walter's
compiler.

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