Re: DOS or WIN 6809 free/low cost Compiler?

vze24h5m@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Mark McDougall wrote:
> > vze24h5m@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> >
> > > We are currently using an 18 year old version (3.x) of Introl-C that
> > > runs under DOS. A 6809 C compiler (+assembler,etc) is needed to
> > > maintain and update code for our 6809-based card. (And NO, I can't
> > > get our product updated to a newer CPU!)
> >
> > You're still maintaining a product that's around 18 years old!?! That's
> > impressive! Do tell! ...
> >
> > > I know practically nothing about Linux, so I
> > > don't know if there is a way to run GCC-6809 under Win2K.
> > > Ideas, anyone? -Dave Pollum
> >
> > As another posted replied, you shouldn't have any problems building
> > GCC-6809 under cygwin on windoze. I do know that it has successfully
> > been done (or at least documented on a web site) with a patched version
> > of GCC-6809 for the TRS-80 CoCo...
> >
> > Regards,
> > Mark
>
> Mark,
> Actually, earlier versions of the hardware (a 6809-based board that
> handles government communications protocols) go back to the mid 80's.
> I designed most of that hardware. When it was redesigned as an ISA
> card (by another company, in 1991), I argued for a "better" CPU, such
> as a 68K. I was overruled, because the "powers that be" demanded
> minimal software changes, and because they didn't think the project
> would last more than 5 years. Recently, the board has been redesigned
> as a PCI card, and it _still_ uses a 6809 CPU, again for software
> compatibilty. I heard that our PCI version may be around until 2010 or
> even 2015! I'm working with the company that designed the PCI version,
> fixing their snafus, writing firmware, and learning about VHDL and
> CPLDs. So I'm having a good time, except for "fighting" with the
> compiler from time to time. I've also written all of the firmware, and
> I'm currently working on writing high and low-level hardware
> diagnostics.

Well it wouldn't solve your software development issues, but if you
want new hardware that runs the same old software, why not look at an
emulator. There was a pretty good 6809 emulator released in 1995 that
lets you play the original robotron hex code on a PC. The emulator does
a very faithful job of recreating a 2Mhz 6809 system with a custom
video display on a slow 100 Mhz Intel Pentium.

And an emulator (once it was working) could make debugging a snap.

Mark

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