Stephen Heumann and Kelvin Sherlock have just released a new version of ORCA/C, the C compiler for the Apple IIGS, which includes several new language and library features. ORCA/C 2.2.0 B7 is now available for download on GitHub.
ORCA/C was originally written for the Apple IIgs by Mike Westerfield of Byteworks, Inc.. He has released the original source code and given permission to the Apple II community to update the project.
According to Stephen Heumann, one of the community developers of the ORCA/C project, this new version includes designated initializers, anonymous structures and unions, several new math functions, time zone handling using the Time Tool, and more. With these additions, ORCA/C now supports nearly all the required features in C17, apart from wide character support and some floating-point library features.
In addition to new language and library features, ORCA/C 2.2.0 B7 includes new lint checks and a new debugging option to help detect errors. It also has an option to use a strict conformance mode where it follows the C standards as closely as possible.
One of the most significant updates in ORCA/C 2.2.0 B7 is the updated linker. The new linker can automatically divide large programs into multiple segments, which can help developers to manage larger projects more easily.
ORCA/C has been a popular choice among Apple IIGS developers since its first release in the 1980s. The new features and improvements in ORCA/C 2.2.0 B7 are expected to make it even more attractive to developers working on the platform.
Developers who are interested in trying out ORCA/C 2.2.0 B7 can download it from the ORCA/C Project GitHub repository. You will need to have an existing installation of ORCA/C 2.1.0 or later in order to instal 2.2.0 B7.
The ORCA/C 2.2.0 B7 disk image is available for download in .2mg disk image format along with all source code for the project at: https://github.com/byteworksinc/ORCA-C/releases/tag/orcac-220b7
