How I developed an Am29000 C compiler and web browser
A developer recounts the process of building a C compiler and web browser for a homebrew computer based on the Am29000 processor in the late 1990s. The narrative highlights the technical challenges of low-level programming during the early internet era.
Why it matters
This provides a historical perspective on the evolution of software engineering and the constraints of early computing hardware.
How I developed an Am29000 C compiler and web browser
If you have read my previous article, you’ll know that I developed a windowed operating system in 32-bit machine code for a homebrew computer based on the Am29000 processor. In this article, I’ll talk about the development of my C compiler for these processors, and a web browser.
The time period was between Christmas 1998 and my birthday in 1999. I was age 20, Internet was spreading like fire in Mexico, Bruce Willis just saved the Earth from a giant asteroid, new careers emerged for the nascent Internet (it was a gold year for graphic designers), people was scared that the year 2000 bug would trigger a digital armageddon (even the Simpsons ran an episode where Homer forgets updating the computers), and Arnold Schwarzenegger was killing demons with bullets in End of Days.
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