I have an ancient version (V4.23H/DXT, copyright 1993) of the Archimedes 8051 compiler. If I understand correctly, Keil created it, and Archimedes Software sold it and provided support. The manual for the compiler refers to the -a linker option for controlling the overlaying of local variables, then goes on to say that the option is "too new" to be included in the linker manual.
Sure enough, the linker manual (a separate book) doesn't mention the -a option, but when I invoke the linker (V4.46H/DXT) with nothing on the command line, it gives UNIX-like usage information that includes this cryptic line:
-a{iw(.)[.]{.}} Overlay control
Can anyone with a manual (or a really good memory!) explain how to use this option?
Thanks,
-- Russ
This seems to be the IAR version of the 51 tools sold by Archimedes before they switched to Keil C51. The L51/BL51 linker and all the other commponents of the C51 tools never had a Unix style command interface, not even back in 1989.
I don't know about that. Besides the version numbers (given in my original post), about the only other thing I can tell you is that the .EXE files are named C-51.EXE (the compiler), XLINK.EXE (the linker), A8051.EXE (the assembler), and XLIB.EXE (the library utility).
These are definitely the IAR executables.
Thanks to a hint from one of the guys on http://www.8052.com I was able to dig up the READ.ME file that came with my compiler, and found that it tells all about the linker's -a option. So, problem solved.