Free software tools

OSD Home

GCC

What's not to like about GCC? :)

Free
Open source
Targets x86, PowerPC, 680x0, ARM, Hitachi SuperH, MIPS, and other (mainly 32-bit) CPUs
Hosted under DOS, Windows, Linux and other OSes
Much more flexible than commercial compilers
High quality; fewer bugs than commercial compilers

DJGPP (GCC for DOS): http://www.delorie.com/djgpp

DJGPP mirror sites:

The absolute minimum you need to download (NNNN is version number):

v2gnu/gccNNNNb.zip (C compiler)
v2gnu/bnuNNNNb.zip (binutils)

v2/djdevNNN.zip (library files)

It is strongly recommended that you download these as well:

v2/faqNNNb.zip (DJGPP FAQ)
v2gnu/gzpNNNNb.zip (gzip)
v2gnu/tarNNNNb.zip (tar)

v2misc/csdpmiNb.zip (DPMI server)
v2gnu/makNNNNb.zip (GNU Make)
v2apps/rhideNNb.zip (RHIDE)
v2gnu/sedNNb.zip (sed)

Support: news:comp.os.msdos.djgpp. You can also read this newsgroup via Google, or via mailing list (see the DJGPP FAQ).

CygWin (GCC for Win32): http://cygwin.com

MinGW32 (GCC for Win32): http://mingw.sourceforge.net/

MinGW32 is smaller than CygWin because it does not have the CygWin DLL or UNIX compatability baggage.

GCC for Linux

GCC comes with most Linux distributions. Check the CDs or download site from where you got Linux.

Other 32-bit C compilers

Borland C 5.5 for Win32: http://www.borland.com/bcppbuilder/freecompiler/

You must register with Borland to download this compiler. It compiles code much more quickly than MinGW. This compiler can not be used to make 16-bit programs.

Watcom C: http://www.openwatcom.org

FTP: http://downloads.openwatcom.org/ftp/11.0c/zips/

To develop 32-bit programs under DOS, download these files:

core_all.zip (core binaries; all hosts)
clib_hdr.zip (C runtime library header files)
clib_a32.zip (C runtime libraries; all 32-bit targets)

core_binw.zip (Core binaries; DOS host)
c_binw.zip (C compiler; DOS host)
clib_d32.zip (C runtime libraries; 32-bit DOS)

You will also need the free CauseWay DOS extender: http://www.devoresoftware.com/freesource/cwsrc.htm. Get files cwsystem.lnk, cwdstub.exe, and cwstub.exe from this archive, put them in the binw directory, and add the following line to file binw\wlink.lnk:

        @%watcom%\binw\cwsystem.lnk

Now you can link 32-bit DOS executables by saying

        wlink SYSTEM causeway ...

Digital Mars: http://www.digitalmars.com/download/freecompiler.html

LCC32: http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~lcc-win32/

16-bit C compilers

Turbo C 2.01, Turbo C++ 1.01: http://bdn.borland.com/museum/

Watcom C: http://www.openwatcom.org

FTP: http://downloads.openwatcom.org/ftp/11.0c/zips/

To develop 16-bit programs under DOS, download these files:

core_all.zip (core binaries; all hosts)
clib_hdr.zip (C runtime library header files)
clib_a16.zip (C runtime libraries; all 16-bit targets)

core_binw.zip (Core binaries; DOS host)
c_binw.zip (C compiler; DOS host)
clib_d16.zip (C runtime libraries; 16-bit DOS)

Digital Mars: http://www.digitalmars.com/download/freecompiler.html

Micro C: ftp://ftp.dunfield.com/mc321pc.zip

Pacific C: http://www.hitech.com.au/products/pacific.html

Dev86-DOS: http://www.cix.co.uk/~mayday/welcome.html

Dev86: http://www.cix.co.uk/~mayday/welcome.html

Dev86 is the only Linux compiler I know of that makes 16-bit code.

Other compilers

Free Pascal (32-bit): http://www.freepascal.org/

Turbo Pascal 1.0, 3.02, and 5.5: http://bdn.borland.com/museum/

French version of TurboPascal 7.0: ftp://212.73.230.16/borland/gratuit/turbo_pascal_701_fr.zip

GNAT (GNU Ada): ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/gnat/

Assemblers

NASM: http://nasm.sourceforge.net/

NASM produces 16- or 32-bit code, and can be used with Linux, DOS, Windows, or OS/2.

MASM32: http://www.movsd.com/masm.htm

TASM (Borland's assembler) is commercial software (!)

Free source code is not very useful if you must buy the software tools needed to build it.

MASM (Microsoft's assembler)

MASM is available from Microsoft as part of a service pack for Visual C++ 6.0

Linkers

Linker comparison chart similar to Dark Fiber's

Comparison of linkers from Dark Fiber's OS FAQ: http://www.mega-tokyo.com/os/os-faq-linker.html#linkers_comp
Microsoft linkers: http://www.easystreet.com/~jkirwan/pctools.html.
Dark Fiber's notes on the different Microsoft linkers: http://www.mega-tokyo.com/os/os-faq-linker.html#linkers_link
The ld linker comes with GCC, including DJGPP and MinGW32
ALINK (and ALIB): http://alink.sourceforge.net. These are meant to be companion tools for NASM. OBJ, LIB, Win32 COFF, and Win32 RES input formats; .COM, .EXE, Win32 .EXE, and .DLL outputs.
JLOC: http://my.execpc.com/~geezer/johnfine/index.htm#zero

Debuggers

Note that OS kernels can't be debugged like regular applications.

GDB is the GNU debugger; get it where you get GCC. It is a command-line program, but a variety of graphical front-ends are available.
Turbo Debug for Borland C 5.5: http://www.borland.com/bcppbuilder/turbodebugger/ (registration required)
OllyDebug for Windows: http://home.t-online.de/home/Ollydbg/

Bochs PC simulator

Home site: http://bochs.sourceforge.net

Disk tools

John Fine's PARTCOPY: http://my.execpc.com/~geezer/johnfine/index.htm#partcopy
Mtools lets you use a file as a simulated DOS disk:
- Linux/UNIX source: http://www.tux.org/pub/tux/knaff/mtools (Actually, Linux users don't need Mtools...)
- Win32 binaries of MTOOLS: http://kos.enix.org/~d2/mtools-3.9.6-w32.tar.gz (requires CYGWIN1.DLL)
RAWRITE
- for Windows: http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite.htm
- for DOS: http://www.tux.org/pub/dos/rawrite/ [*]

[*] WARNING: DOS RAWRITE writes anywhere from 3 sectors to one entire track at a time. If used to install a bootsector, it will overwrite the sectors beyond the bootsector (e.g. the first FAT). RawWrite for Windows may behave in the same way.

Other tools

ELF binutils for DJGPP:

Note that the GRUB bootloader will load a kernel in any file format by using the a.out kludge -- the kernel need not be ELF.

ALIB: http://alink.sourceforge.net

Convert TASM code to AT&T: ftp://x2ftp.oulu.fi/pub/msdos/programming/convert/ta2asv08.zip

Convert NASM code to AT&T: http://www.niksula.cs.hut.fi/~mtiihone/intel2gas

GCC

DJGPP (GCC for DOS): http://www.delorie.com/djgpp

CygWin (GCC for Win32): http://cygwin.com

MinGW32 (GCC for Win32): http://mingw.sourceforge.net/

GCC for Linux

Other 32-bit C compilers

Borland C 5.5 for Win32: http://www.borland.com/bcppbuilder/freecompiler/

Watcom C: http://www.openwatcom.org

Digital Mars: http://www.digitalmars.com/download/freecompiler.html

LCC32: http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~lcc-win32/

16-bit C compilers

Turbo C 2.01, Turbo C++ 1.01: http://bdn.borland.com/museum/

Watcom C: http://www.openwatcom.org

Digital Mars: http://www.digitalmars.com/download/freecompiler.html

Micro C: ftp://ftp.dunfield.com/mc321pc.zip

Pacific C: http://www.hitech.com.au/products/pacific.html

Dev86-DOS: http://www.cix.co.uk/~mayday/welcome.html

Dev86: http://www.cix.co.uk/~mayday/welcome.html

Other compilers

Free Pascal (32-bit): http://www.freepascal.org/

Turbo Pascal 1.0, 3.02, and 5.5: http://bdn.borland.com/museum/

French version of TurboPascal 7.0: ftp://212.73.230.16/borland/gratuit/turbo_pascal_701_fr.zip

GNAT (GNU Ada): ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/gnat/

Assemblers

NASM: http://nasm.sourceforge.net/

MASM32: http://www.movsd.com/masm.htm

TASM (Borland's assembler) is commercial software (!)

MASM (Microsoft's assembler)

Linkers

Debuggers

Bochs PC simulator

Disk tools

Other tools

REPORT BUGS OR ERRORS IN THIS DOCUMENT