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Portable C Compiler VS clang

Compare Portable C Compiler VS clang 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.

clang logo clang

C, C++, Objective C and Objective C++ front-end for the LLVM compiler.
  • Portable C Compiler Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-11-06
  • clang Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-01

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.

clang features and specs

  • High Performance
    Clang is known for its fast compilation time and efficient use of memory, which makes it ideal for large projects that require frequent builds.
  • Modular Design
    The modular design of Clang allows developers to easily integrate it with other tools and projects. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for custom compilers and IDEs.
  • Expressive Diagnostics
    Clang provides highly detailed and easy-to-understand error and warning messages, which help developers quickly identify and fix coding issues.
  • LLVM Infrastructure
    Being a part of the LLVM project, Clang benefits from a robust and active community. It gets frequent updates and improvements, keeping it at the forefront of compiler technology.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Clang supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This makes it a versatile choice for cross-platform development projects.

Possible disadvantages of clang

  • Limited Legacy Support
    Clang may not support some older or obscure language extensions that other compilers, like GCC, might handle. This can be an issue when working with legacy codebases.
  • Evolving Ecosystem
    As part of a rapidly evolving ecosystem, Clang can introduce breaking changes or deprecations that require developers to frequently update their code.
  • Resource Intensive
    Although Clang is efficient, the compilation of very large codebases might require significant system resources, potentially straining less powerful systems.
  • Less Mature in Certain Areas
    Compared to GCC, Clang can be less mature in handling certain language features or optimizations, especially in newer or less common use cases.

Portable C Compiler videos

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clang videos

Use Clang on Windows, Linux, and macOS

More videos:

  • Review - The Clang Swordsman
  • Review - CLANG AND BANG: BI'S AND TRI'S FOR DAYS!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Portable C Compiler and clang)
IDE
37 37%
63% 63
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Text Editors
38 38%
62% 62
Email Marketing
34 34%
66% 66

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, clang should be more popular than Portable C Compiler. It has been mentiond 13 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

clang mentions (13)

  • dotnet cross-platform interop with C via Environment.ProcessId system call
    I want to compile C program for various operating systems from one machine, that's why on macOS M1 I use zig drop-in replacement compiler (can be used on Linux, Windows too) for cross-platform compilation. There are also clang, gcc (usually pre-installed on macOS and Linux). For Windows there are Visual Studio installer or mingw (which installs gcc). - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • S2S Compilers: Understanding Switch Case Statements
    If you are turning your source code into languages such as C or C++, it is required to have great understanding and knowledge of C/C++. Since these languages also have compilers be it GNU Compiler Collection or Clang, we have to do a lot of digging and researching around their features and functionalities. There is a lot of benefit in that once the target codebase grows and developers start reusing the target... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Ready to miss a semi colon and spend the next hour stressing over what went wrong?
    Clang is an LLVM based C compiler that "allows better diagnostics, better integration with IDEs, a license that is compatible with commercial products, and a nimble compiler that is easy to develop and maintain," compared to other options. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Alternatives of MinGW for MacOS
    VS Code is not an IDE. It's simply an editor without any built-in compiler tools. So you MUST use "other compiler" (and bintools) anyway. As I said, Apple's official C/C++ compiler is LLVM-Clang, which offers even better optimization in some tasks. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What is the point of free and open source software?
    One illustration of this came in 2015 when Stallman decided he Would rather prevent the Gnu Compiler Collection from supporting modern IDE features like symbol completion, than allow GCC front ends to be paired with free-but-not-copyleft backends like LLVM and Clang: "Since LLVM and Clang are not copylefted, they invite nonfree extensions. They are a gaping hole in the defensive wall around our city." Allowing... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Portable C Compiler and clang, 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...

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

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

Emscripten - Emscripten is an LLVM to JavaScript compiler.

PyCharm - Python & Django IDE with intelligent code completion, on-the-fly error checking, quick-fixes, and much more...

SonarQube - SonarQube, a core component of the Sonar solution, is an open source, self-managed tool that systematically helps developers and organizations deliver Clean Code.