KickC - new compiler for C with strong 6502 optimizations

[ilmenit]

https://gitlab.com/camelot/kickc

Currently aiming C64, but open source and looks very promising. Some capabilities of C language are removed (recursion, unions etc.), because just supporting them prevents many optimizations in the compiler for 6502. Some useful features (multidimensional arrays) are still missing.

 

[VladR]

Thanks for the tip. Wouldn't have discovered it otherwise.

 

Over the last year I've been working on C-like language for Jaguar, with 3 separate backends for GPU, DSP and 68000. My mantra is "only support the language feature if the compiler can produce as fast code as a human", so I can totally back up their decision to not implement a full feature set (which, btw, is totally not needed).

 

I'm very tempted to go add the 6502 backend (though, for Lynx, I now work with CC65, which provides sort-of a temp solution), so I'll be watching this development carefully, as it just might provide the necessary kick

 

[JamesD]

Nice to see an alternative to CC65.  UNIONS are dropped by a lot of versions, so no big deal there.
Recursion isn't something I see being real efficient on the 6502, so not a problem there either. 
 

[baktra]

This looks very promising. It is rather a new language based on C. The limitations and not implemented functions seem to be fair. Multiplication and division of integers would be nice, though.

Support for including game data - display lists, music, graphics, levels, sprites is done through KickAssembler.

 

 

 

[ivop]

Promising indeed. The idea behind the code generator and trying to put loop variables in X or Y is great!  But because it's all written in Java, I probably won't ever ever ever ever contribute to it

 

 

[imstarryeyed]

This looks like a very good project.  I love the idea of 6502 and maybe Z80 programming in C or some other high language.

 

Thanks for sharing the link, I will follow this project.

[tschak909]

so it's Action! with C, instead of SPL/ALGOL syntax. Great

 

This complements CC65 quite nicely, as CC65 aims to be a complete C for 6502...this gives you...from the looks of it...about 60% of C. Would be great for games.

 

(I needed _all_ of C for PLATOTERM)

 

-Thom

[Kyle22]

CC65 is fast enough for some simple games.

How does Action! compare?

 

I'm NOT trolling. I don't remember right now. What do you think?

 

[+slx]

On 9/14/2019 at 4:07 AM, Kyle22 said:

CC65 is fast enough for some simple games.

How does Action! compare?

 

I'm NOT trolling. I don't remember right now. What do you think?

 

There's quite a number of Action! games, it's rather fast, you can even do VBIs with Action! (Examples at AtariWiki). 

[tschak909]

Action code compiles down to _very_ nice assembler code. It's clear that Clint Parker spent a TON of time in this area. (Of course, he made it much easier by basically deleting the concept of stack frames from the SPL language)

 

-Thom

[damosan]

On 7/27/2019 at 12:23 PM, JamesD said:

Nice to see an alternative to CC65.  UNIONS are dropped by a lot of versions, so no big deal there.
Recursion isn't something I see being real efficient on the 6502, so not a problem there either. 
 

I agree with this - depending on what you want to do CC65 is a PITA to setup and get running right.  On top of that it generates some pretty...busy...code.  That's due more to the lineage of the compiler though.

 

I'd be happy with a minimal C[1] that compiled down to decent asm.

 

[1] Minimal being something that supports pointers, standard 1/2/4 byte integers, 1d arrays, was easy to setup for different situations e.g. 400/800, XL, XE, extended memory, etc.

[funkheld]

Hi good afternoon.

 

which "C" and which "H" can be used by kickc for the Atarixl from LIB and from INCLUDE ?

 

 

greeting

Edited October 11, 2020 by funkheld