From: Robert Swierczek <rmswierczek@gmail.com>
To: TUHS main list <tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org>
Subject: [TUHS] New project to recreate the B compiler for the PDP-11
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 18:11:01 -0400 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAAFR5pbE5mX25qzwZMp9BoGxS--dPn0CRm-ziskHDNkG5wO8kA@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
I just started a project to recreate the B compiler for the PDP-11 as
authentically as possible, given the few fragments that remain and
some educated guesswork. It should be fun (for various definitions of
fun).
Here is the repository https://github.com/rswier/pdp11-B
I have borrowed some tools from Warren's
https://github.com/DoctorWkt/unix-jun72
I have made a good start at reverse engineering the B run time library
in /usr/lib/libb.a. I have tried to make the source match the same
style as the earliest C library found on the last1120c-bits tape. The
remaining functions in libb.a include printf and printn which appear
to be written in B. This should provide more clues needed to create
the compiler.
I am also tackling the dis-assembly of the threaded code interpreter
/usr/lib/bilib.a (which at the moment is a big mess on my hard-drive)
Later steps will include creating the B compiler itself by carefully
pruning down the last1120c C compiler. The fun here will be to
boot-strap the B compiler without help from any existing modern
compilers. I think TMG will come into play to make that happen.
All are welcome to contribute!
Rob
next reply other threads:[~2019-04-23 22:12 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 4+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2019-04-23 22:11 Robert Swierczek [this message]
2019-04-23 22:47 ` Angelo Papenhoff
2019-04-23 23:36 ` Robert Swierczek
2019-04-23 23:12 ` Angelo Papenhoff
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