> > Microsoft was producing 32-bit C compilers in 1987!

 > 1982 when they were (partly) responsible for Xenix on the
 > TRS80 model 16 :-)

But was that a 32-bit 80386 CPU?  :-)

I actually meant an i386 code generator, but ... whatever. :-)  AFAIK, the
first 32-bit 386 MSC was circa 1987 and was published in Altos & SCO
Xenix (did MS ever have a 32-bit Xenix?).

I don't think cl386 has ever been available as a DOS app, but it sure
exists for OS/2 (but as a 16-bit app, however :-)). CL386 is the ancestor
to the original IBM CSet/2 compiler, and 'strangely' enough supports all
the same "special" semantics, 16->32 & 32->16 bit
thunking etc.. yet still includes the same infamous MSC optimizer, probably
not as fast as CSet/2 by a long shot, but it does consistantly produce
_much_ smaller/tigher code. Unlike CSet, btw, it does support inline
(32-bit) assembler. I wonder why IBM removed that feature? This is very
handy for system level code.


david

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