From: "M. Schulter" <mschulter AT value DOT net>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: large file
Date: 20 Oct 1997 23:06:25 GMT
Organization: Value Net Internetwork Services Inc.
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Message-ID: <62go5h$1bb$1@vnetnews.value.net>
References: <877371682 DOT 4685 AT dejanews DOT com>
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To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
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Simon DOT zalar AT guest DOT arnes DOT si wrote:

: I have another question: if i make a "Hello World"
: program it is about 100kb large. I use V2.01 and rhide
: What can I do to make this better?

Please see Section 8.15 of the DJGPP FAQ.

This is a very common question, and the short answer is that DJGPP is a
32-bit compiler designed to do more than produce "Hello, World" output
<grin>.

Of course, writing simple programs is an essential learning process, but
DJGPP is designed to grow with you.

Also, as discussed in the FAQ -- and in lots of previous posts to this
newsgroup (understatement of the decade?) -- there are ways to cut down
the size of an executable if it really seems worth it.

: Another Question is: what is really better in protected
: mode? Is graphics much faster? How is DJGPP's speed
: compared with other compilers like Borland, Watcom?

The speed question leads to lots of unpleasant arguments on all sides
(again an understatement), but I hope that I can answer the protected mode
question less controversially.

Today, just as ten years ago when 32-bit protected mode programs for the
Intel i386 CPU were just starting to be written, the advantages of
accessing up to 4 gigabytes of RAM, and not getting limited to 64K
segments by real mode  MS-DOS, were rather clear.

Also, protected mode is safer, because it can prevent you from writing to
memory addresses that you really don't want to write to! It's also simpler
in many ways, especially for a beginner C or assembler programmer who
doesn't have to worry about memory models and segments and the like.

Interesting, UNIX systems for the PC were among the first to support
32-bit protected mode at a time when the 386 was just starting to be found
on desktops. DJGPP continues this great tradition by making both the power
of protected mode and the flexibility of UNIX-style GNU tools available
within MS-DOS and compatible OSes.

: Thank you all very much.

: Simon Zalar

Hope this helps, and please feel free to ask me more -- but do be aware
that there have been some not-so-pleasant "whose compiler is
faster/better" threads around here lately <grin>, so comparisons may get
into not-so-safe ground.

Most appreciatively,

Margo Schulter
mschulter AT value DOT net