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Introduction
The purpose of this website is to provide a free internet archive for
various versions of the now-discontinued Computer Innovations compilers;
primarily the C86 and C86PLUS C Compiler "Family"
for older platforms including IBM-PC and compatible platforms,
and to provide related compiler documentation and source code and samples that support
the Fair Use of these discontinued compilers
for educational purposes by programmers, researchers and enthusiasts.
If the aforestated is not your intended use, you may not download from this website.
Please email me (Bill Buckels) at bbuckels@mts.net if you
can provide me with Computer Innovations C86 Compilers, Documentation and Examples other than what is listed
on this website.
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Brief History
COMPUTER INNOVATIONS, INC. of New Jersey (George E. Eberhardt, CEO) produced C compilers and development environments
for IBM-PC and compatible platforms beginning in the early 1980s targeted at professional developers and beginning with
the "C86" compiler as the first major offering for the IBM-PC. An earlier C compiler had been developed for CP/M 80.
Along with several early PC-based software products,
the first version of PCPaint which was the first paint program
for the PC was produced with "C86".
Computer Innovations was the first company to advertise an optimizing compiler.
In 1988 Computer Innovations released version 1.2 of their "C86 Plus" compiler and development system for Intel Processors which also
included enhanced support for ROM-based code. By this time several others like Microsoft C, Watcom C and Turbo C were already
in the then-evolving MS-DOS C Compiler market promoting features like source level debuggers.
In 1989 moving beyond the MS-DOS C compiler market, Computer Innovations released their C86 C compiler, version 3.0
for Quantum Software Inc's QNX Unix.
In 1992, now known as a "C++ language house", Computer Innovations jointly developed a parallel version of C++ for Transputers with
Parallel processing software outfit 3L Ltd, Livingston, Scotland to be to be marketed as an add-on to 3L's parallel C compiler.
In 1993 Computer Innovations announced Version 3.2 of their Debug*2000 C/C++ debugger. The product offered a choice of
windows that allowed multiple views of the C or C++ program being debugged. Ironically it was the lack of a source level debugger
that drew criticism against "C86 Plus" in the MS-DOS compiler market just 5 years before.
In 1995 Computer Innovations released "StarPower, a programmer's software development environment" moving even further
beyond the C86 MS-DOS compiler market. StarPower was made available for Motif and OpenLook and support provided for Unix-Ware, Sun Sparc,
Sun Solaris X86, and SCO Unix systems.
1995 was their last year in business, and so the story goes.
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Ned Kelly - Top Level Support
Now the "truth" can finally be told...
The really tough support issues at Computer Innovations that none of the other employees could or would or should handle
were escalated to a fearless
ex-patriot Australian who called himself
Ned Kelly. Ned's virtual "armour", like his namesake of olde, was evidently
"tough enough to repel bullets" and presumably all sorts of "slings and arrows".
In November 2009, George E. Eberhardt asked me if I knew the history of who Ned Kelly was.
I knew I should but didn't and told George so and I am apparently not alone.
To resolve difficult issues, Ned Kelly could and would say and do things that the CEO of Computer Innovations shouldn't, wouldn't
and couldn't and despite Ned's notoriety on George's former home continent, nobody in North America apparently caught-on
to the significance of his alias and alter-ego. And so the story goes.
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The Present
At time of this writing George E. Eberhardt, former CEO of Computer Innovations is alive and well
and actively pursuing his current interests.
As time permits he and I will be going through olde stuff and determining if any bits and pieces
left from the history of Computer Innovations that George may deem appropriate can be offered
from this website.
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Caveat Emptor
Computer Innovations C Compilers are no longer available for purchase or
support from their Copyright holder. In particular, the
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. Nobody
has 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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Contributors
George E. Eberhardt - For permission and everything.
L.B."Neal" Neal - For providing a copy of C86 2.30J and inspiration.
L.B."Neal" Neal - For providing a copy of C86PLUS 1.10 and more inspiration.
Ned Kelly - For everything else.
L.B."Neal" Neal also contributed
an additional version of C86PLUS (1.06) which was too
"transitional" as far as I am concerned when compared to version 1.10.
It also did not provide source. I have not placed it here but
regardless, I am grateful for all Neal's contributions.
If you have Computer Innovations 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.
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© Copyright Bill Buckels 2009
All Rights Reserved.
Unless Otherwise Noted.