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I'm getting pretty tired of this false advertisement. This is not a C compiler. It doesn't have many crucial features required to compile most larger C programs

I'm getting pretty tired of this false advertisement. This is not a C compiler. It doesn't have many crucial features required to compile most larger C programs. I do have to say it's impressive what they have squeezed into 512 byte.

humanrebar 3y ago
Agreed. It's a cool project, but it's a compiler for a DSL that is a subset of C.
jjtheblunt 3y ago
I wonder how long until some LLM filters fraudulent titles wrt the article contents
distcs 3y ago
> This is not a C compiler. This is technically true! What is posted here is not a C compiler. It is an implementation of a subset of C. I'd prefer that the title honestly mentions that like: A compiler for a subset of C that fits in the 512 byte boot sector. It is still a remarkable feat. But honestly, when I read the original title I was in complete disbelief that someone could implement a whole C compiler in 512 bytes. But with the new context that it is a subset of C (not the whole C), the initial great surprise is gone. It is still very impressive though.
- Brian_K_White 3y ago
  Or even, interpreter. It compiles and executes on the fly, in ram, function by function. It doesn't even compile the whole input but just a bit and immediately executes that bit before moving to the next bit, and doesn't save the compilation result anywhere. To me, that's an interpreter. So it's a c subset interpreter. And a very cool thing. This is not a denegration or critique at all, just terminology. I think it's perfectly fine for a bootstrapper to be a drastic subset. They all already are drastically limited in countless other ways anyways like not knowing how to use any of the crazy hardware, networking, etc. A forth bootloader is a full turing language that can eventually do anything, but it itself can do almost nothing initially besides use bios-provided features and start interpreting code which then provides more functionality.
jcul 3y ago
To be fair, the first sentence states that it supports a subset of C. >SectorC is a C compiler written in x86-16 assembly that fits within the 512 byte boot sector of an x86 machine. It supports a subset of C that is large enough to write real and interesting programs. The post title could include this, but perhaps it's a little verbose. In any case, agreed it's impressive to fit it in 512 bytes!
- tomjakubowski 3y ago
  i'm sorry to nitpick but it's the second sentence which mentions it only supports a subset, not the first sentence. and the first sentence calls it a "C compiler" without qualification
  - jcul 3y ago
    Ah yes you're correct, I should have said first paragraph.
deleted 3y ago
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userbinator 3y ago
It's closer to B than C.

humanrebar 3y ago

Agreed. It's a cool project, but it's a compiler for a DSL that is a subset of C.

jjtheblunt 3y ago

I wonder how long until some LLM filters fraudulent titles wrt the article contents

distcs 3y ago

> This is not a C compiler. This is technically true! What is posted here is not a C compiler. It is an implementation of a subset of C. I'd prefer that the title honestly mentions that like: A compiler for a subset of C that fits in the 512 byte boot sector. It is still a remarkable feat. But honestly, when I read the original title I was in complete disbelief that someone could implement a whole C compiler in 512 bytes. But with the new context that it is a subset of C (not the whole C), the initial great surprise is gone. It is still very impressive though.

Brian_K_White 3y ago
Or even, interpreter. It compiles and executes on the fly, in ram, function by function. It doesn't even compile the whole input but just a bit and immediately executes that bit before moving to the next bit, and doesn't save the compilation result anywhere. To me, that's an interpreter. So it's a c subset interpreter. And a very cool thing. This is not a denegration or critique at all, just terminology. I think it's perfectly fine for a bootstrapper to be a drastic subset. They all already are drastically limited in countless other ways anyways like not knowing how to use any of the crazy hardware, networking, etc. A forth bootloader is a full turing language that can eventually do anything, but it itself can do almost nothing initially besides use bios-provided features and start interpreting code which then provides more functionality.

jcul 3y ago

To be fair, the first sentence states that it supports a subset of C. >SectorC is a C compiler written in x86-16 assembly that fits within the 512 byte boot sector of an x86 machine. It supports a subset of C that is large enough to write real and interesting programs. The post title could include this, but perhaps it's a little verbose. In any case, agreed it's impressive to fit it in 512 bytes!

tomjakubowski 3y ago
i'm sorry to nitpick but it's the second sentence which mentions it only supports a subset, not the first sentence. and the first sentence calls it a "C compiler" without qualification
- jcul 3y ago
  Ah yes you're correct, I should have said first paragraph.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

userbinator 3y ago

It's closer to B than C.