MicroAPL Ltd, the London-based assembler translation specialist, is preparing an iAPX-86-to-PowerPC version of its PortASM translator, according to company chairman Richard Nabavi. PortASM takes assembler source code written for one processor and produces the equivalent source for another type. Currently it translates only from Motorola 68000 source to PowerPC, but Nabavi says that an iAPX-86-to-PowerPC version will be ready in six to eight weeks. Nabavi reckons the new product will be applicable to both desktop and embedded applications. Obviously, operating system incompatibilities mean that developers can’t simply translate their MS-Windows application and expect it to run on a Power Macintosh, but it should still prove useful for companies that have discrete bits of iAPX-86 assembler encased within a larger C-based program. It is also the type of utility that would prove handy for converting an iAPX-86-based operating system for the PowerPC; Nabavi says that he is in discussion with some large operating system companies, but not surprisingly he will not reveal which ones. The company has also just begun shipping version 1.2 of the current 68000-to-PowerPC PortASM. MicroAPL says the new version offers improved code generation, Macintosh Toolbox call optimisation and an improved interface to Pascal and C, together with support for symbolic debugging using Apple Computer Inc’s ppcAsm PowerPC Assembler. It has also been recompiled for the Power Macintosh and the consequent speed increase means that it’s feasible to convert very large applications using a Macintosh, the company said. Wordperfect Corp is the company that is always mentioned as a PortASM user, using it to translate its eponymous word processor. Nabavi claims that Wordperfect has managed to shave around 200,000 lines of its application using the new version of the utility, which is roughly a 10% reduction in code-size. Version 1.2 of the 68000-to-PowerPC translator starts at $750.
