Portable C Compiler 1.1.0 Released (PCC 1.1)

The better part of four years since the release of PCC 1.0, the second official release of the modern Portable C Compiler is now available.

While rummaging through the websites of some less popular but enjoyable open-source projects on this slow holiday news week in looking for new leads, I noticed PCC 1.1.0 was quietly released earlier this month. PCC has a very long history and at times it doesn't look like much has happened after its development restarted in 2007, but nearly four years after the PCC 1.0.0 release is now PCC 1.1.

In the time since PCC 1.0, basic C++ support has been added to this C compiler targeting Linux and BSD platforms. The support for C++ though is considered quite limited. Additionally, PCC mostly focuses on C99 support for its C language target while GCC and Clang already have complete C11 support. PCC also remains focused on x86 and x86_64 architectures without much coverage for other platforms.

The very basic PCC 1.0 release message can be found on pcc-list by its modern lead developer Anders Magnusson. Unfortunately other release details on PCC 1.1.0 are scarce. PCC doesn't compile nearly as much code as GCC or Clang but it's been popular with the BSDs like OpenBSD, NetBSD, and FreeBSD due to its license. PCC can be downloaded from its project site.