C Compilers for CP/M 80 by Mix Software, Inc.
 Digital Research Mix Software, Inc.
The "Almost Official" MIX C for CP/M 80 Online Museum

This Website is privately held by Bill Buckels and not affiliated with Mix Software Inc. in any but a friendly way.

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Introduction

MIX C Compilers for CP/M 80 are no longer available for purchase or support from their Copyright holder, Mix Software, Inc. In December, 2008, Mix Software granted permission but WITHOUT ANY SUPPORT or WARRANTY for Bill Buckels to make the CP/M 80 versions of the MIX compiler available from this website to whoever wants to use them.

The MIX CP/M C compilers provided for download from here are free (and fun) to use, but WITHOUT ANY SUPPORT or WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. If you do not agree then don't download from here.

Since this website is a Work in Progress it will be expanded over time.

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History

The MIX C Compiler for MS-DOS and the MIX C compiler for CP/M 80 were offered as supported products by Mix Software, Inc. of Richardson, Texas, USA, starting in 1985. In 1987, Mix Software rebranded their MS-DOS C compiler as "MIX Power C", and continued development of Power C making it ANSI compliant and adding functionality. The MIX CP/M C compiler remained available for some time after, still being offered for sale in the early 1990's.

The Author

Dennis Saunders is the owner of Mix Software, Inc. and the developer of the MIX compilers, past and present. He is one of the 14 programmers profiled in "The Craft of C" by the also prolific Herbert Schildt, chosen IIRC because the author felt they were instrumental in the advancement of the C language. Shildt also profiles Dennis in "Born To Code In C".

Dennis, unlike Herb and others of their ilk who are very high profile and sometimes controversial , is not "in the public eye". (I have a reprint request to place Dennis's profile on this site and if and when Herb gives me permission I will do so.)

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MIX C compiler for CP/M 80 - "A Class Act"

Parts of the following are condensed from the Les Bell and Associates Languages and Software Development Article originally written in 1984.

Details about using the MIX C compiler for CP/M 80 are listed in the Mix C CP/M 80 Compiler version 2.1 Tools Manual. This is only a portion of the now out-of-print roughly 450 page manual which is unfortunately not available in its entirety in an electronic format from this website.

This compiler predates ANSII C and is a full implementation of the C language as described in K & R (The C Programming Language, by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie).

The compiler comprises a single program, apparently single pass, with a matching linker. It produces a source code listing on the screen as it works. This is especially useful for the beginning programmer as any errors are displayed in context with error numbers and even an arrow to the offending character in the erroneous statement. Explanations of the error numbers are not printed until the end of the listing, but many will be obvious in any case.

The output of the compiler is a .MIX file which contains relocatable object code. This is passed to the linker, which links it with the standard library to generate a .COM file

An optional optimisation program (SPEEDUP.COM) can be passed over the object .MIX file to produce worthwhile improvements in performance at minimal cost in file size.

A similar optimiser called SHRINK.COM will provide space improvements. Alternatively, the run-time code can be omitted from the generated .COM file to make it even smaller (it must then be loaded at run-time from the RUNTIME.OVY file).

The package provides an unusual way of managing the standard function library; rather than providing a librarian, a program (CONVERT.COM) is used to convert the library into an ASCII file which can then be edited and appended to. It can then be re-converted back into its binary form. The contents of the library can be reviewed in the converted library file and by redirecting the output of CONVERT.COM from screen to file. (In this case, doing so will partially compensate for the lack of a list of functions in an electronic manual.)

When it was offered for sale the MIX C compiler for CP/M 80 was comparable to other compilers at five to ten times the price; a marketing approach that holds true in principle even today.

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The Present

CP/M may be gone but Mix C still lives on. As mentioned above, one of the best features of the MIX compiler has always been their manuals which include excellent tutorials. Many of us can thank MIX C for our training when we first learned C. In fact their focus especially today remains strong in teaching and training and now includes video courses.

Another of the best features (also mentioned above) is the low cost and high quality of the compiler which just got better and better over time.

Mix Power C

"Almost on that fateful day that my Power C arrived in the late '80's I quit my job in the Engineering office. After spending the next few months in my basement with my old XT and Power C I walked into a C programming job and never looked back. That first year in programming I made more money than I'd ever been paid in a year before, and the following years got better." - Bill Buckels

The following zip file contains a small sample program for MS-DOS written in Mix Power C 2.0.2: graphs.zip

Today Mix Power C for MS-DOS is still actively sold and supported by Mix Software, Inc. To date more than 130,000 copies of Power C have been distributed by Mix Software and although I say so quietly this probably represents only a portion of the programmers who have used Power C since its release. Mix Software also offers other programming tools, like the C/Database Toolchest. Co-authored by Kim Shrier and Carol Deihl (shown below who also share a history in CP/M), over 50,000 copies have been sold.

Kim Shrier and Carol Deihl (Photo: Peter Payzant)

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Contributors

If you have MIX CP/M compilers or related documentation in addition to the downloads available from this website feel free to email them to Bill Buckels as an attachment (preferably in zip file format) and they will likely be placed here.

If you wish to forward your related source code, libraries, documentation, additional tools or other enhancements they must be free of charge for all to use and distribute. Your permission must be included saying so and they must not be crippled in any way.

Downloads and Links

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Caveat Emptor

MIX C Compilers for CP/M 80 are no longer available for purchase or support from their Copyright holder, Mix Software, Inc. In particular, the MIX CP/M 80 compilers available from this website are provided WITHOUT ANY SUPPORT or WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Neither Mix Software, Inc. or Bill Buckels have any warranty obligations or liability resulting from their use in any way whatsoever.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

This website is maintained by Bill Buckels. Its contents are either owned and Copyrighted by Bill Buckels or provide their own licencing from their respective Copyright Holders. In any case you are free to download from here.

It is provided in the hope that it will be interesting or useful or both, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. In particular, Bill Buckels has no warranty obligations or liability resulting from its use in any way whatsoever.

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