Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Portable C Compiler VS 86Box

Compare Portable C Compiler VS 86Box and see what are their differences

Portable C Compiler logo Portable C Compiler

pcc is a C99 compiler which aims to be small, simple, fast and understandable.

86Box logo 86Box

86Box is a hypervisor and IBM PC system emulator that specializes in running old operating systems...
  • Portable C Compiler Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-11-06
  • 86Box Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19

Portable C Compiler features and specs

  • Simplicity
    PCC is designed to be simple and easy to understand, making it a good choice for educational purposes and for those learning about compilers.
  • Portability
    As its name suggests, PCC is portable and can be easily adapted to different machine architectures, allowing for broad platform support.
  • Small Size
    PCC has a smaller code base compared to other compilers like GCC, which makes it more lightweight and quicker to compile.
  • Legacy Code Support
    PCC is useful for compiling older C code that may not comply with modern C standards, providing support for legacy systems.

Possible disadvantages of Portable C Compiler

  • Limited Features
    PCC may lack some of the advanced features and optimizations found in more modern compilers like GCC or Clang.
  • Performance
    The performance of code compiled with PCC may not be as optimized as that compiled with other contemporary compilers.
  • Community and Support
    PCC has a smaller community and less active development compared to larger projects, potentially leading to fewer updates and less troubleshooting support.
  • Standard Compliance
    PCC may not fully support the latest C standards, which could be a limitation for projects that need to adhere to modern specifications.

86Box features and specs

  • Hardware Emulation
    86Box offers comprehensive emulation of various hardware components, allowing users to run a wide range of legacy software and operating systems accurately.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, 86Box allows users to contribute to its development and customize the emulator to meet specific needs, fostering a community-driven approach.
  • Active Development
    The project is actively maintained and updated, ensuring compatibility with new systems and incorporating user feedback and bug fixes regularly.
  • Wide Compatibility
    It supports a wide range of CPUs, sound cards, and graphics systems, providing flexibility in emulating different historical hardware setups.

Possible disadvantages of 86Box

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up 86Box can be challenging for beginners due to the detailed configuration required for different system components.
  • Resource Intensive
    The emulation can be resource-intensive, requiring significant computer resources to run smoothly, especially for complex setups.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there is community support, official documentation can be sparse, making it difficult for new users to troubleshoot issues independently.
  • Niche Application
    Primarily focused on enthusiasts of retro computing, 86Box may not fulfill the needs of users looking for modern virtualization solutions.

Portable C Compiler videos

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86Box videos

Windows 3.0 30th anniversary special - Installing Windows 3.0 in 86Box

More videos:

  • Review - Tuhan: Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 installation (86Box)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Portable C Compiler and 86Box)
IDE
57 57%
43% 43
Text Editors
43 43%
57% 57
Project Management
57 57%
43% 43
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Portable C Compiler seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Portable C Compiler mentions (2)

  • Hand-optimizing the TCC code generator
    Check PCC [1]. Official release was 2014, but development still active [2]. [1] http://pcc.ludd.ltu.se/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Research Unix v7 for Raspberry Pi
    Works for me in qemu, but remember to provide an SD card image as mentioned in the README before you run "make tools/sd.img" - e.g. The one in the releases https://github.com/r1mikey/research-unix-v7/releases/download/v7-unix-pi1-20200212/v7-unix-pi1-20200212.img.xz Otherwise, qemu will start up complaining about a large number of invalid memory accesses. Unfortunately, there is no port of pcc (the portable C... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

86Box mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of 86Box yet. Tracking of 86Box recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Portable C Compiler and 86Box, you can also consider the following products

GNU Compiler Collection - The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting...

NASM - The Netwide Assembler, NASM, is an 80x86 and x86-64 assembler designed for portability and...

Tiny C Compiler - The Tiny C Compiler is an x86, x86-64 and ARM processor C compiler created by Fabrice Bellard.

PCem - PCem emulates an IBM 5150 PC, several models of clones and successors, along with various graphics...

LLVM - LLVM is a compiler infrastructure designed for compile-time, link-time, run-time, and...

flat assembler - A fast and efficient self-assembling x86 assembler for DOS, Windows and Linux.