Sierra 68000 C Compiler

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Sierra 68000 C Compiler
Developer: Sierra Systems, Larry Rosenthal
Release Date RRP Code US 1987 $2,0002,000 CC010 (Cross Products ref Nº)

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The Sierra 68000 C Compiler is a MS-DOS software-based PC hosted C cross-compiler, developed by Sierra Systems and released in 1987, for the Motorola 68000 Family microprocessors, composed by a 68000 C compiler, macro assembler, linker, librarian, up/down loader (both serial and parallel) and a high end C source level debugger called QuickFix. It was largely used in the early 90's in 68000-based applications ranging from navigational systems to printer applications and video games (the Sega Channel BIOS and the Western Technologies Genesis Development Card firmware, were both programmed with the Sierra 68000 C Compiler) and was licensed to and included by Sega in their Sega Mega Drive Development Kit sold to Third-Party video game development companies (listed in old Cross Products Price lists, which was, at the time, part of Sega). It contains several key features such as highly optimized code, rapid compilation times, ROMable code, position independent and reentrant code generation and support for resident libraries, fragmented address space and IEEE floating point format.

A special parallel download/upload capability was possible through the use of an optional proprietary ROM communication cable provided with the QuickFix debugger, which once connected to the printer port of the host computer and plugged under a EPROM on the target board allowed for "blazing fast" downloads.

Patents

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  US5287455

Promotional material

File:Embedded Systems Programming 01.pdf

PDF

<div style="width:px; padding-left:2px; padding-top:5px; padding-right:2px;"> Print advert in Embedded Systems Programming magazine, Volume 1 issue 01 (1988)

File:Embedded Systems Programming 01.pdf