If you've started on the homework for Cpts 460, you've no doubt discovered by now that the bcc compiler sucks little tiny hamster nuts.

The package from the CptS 460 homepage installs over system files, so instead of using it, you should install the package that comes with your distribution. It may be called bcc (Ubuntu) or dev86 (Gentoo) or something similar.

If you have issues with that, you can always go straight to the source and compile it yourself. The homepage for bcc is here: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robert.debath/

Once you have the compiler running, the first thing that you will notice is the syntax; bcc only understands traditional K&R syntax. (There is a flag for ANSI support, but that support is incomplete.)

Make your functions look like this and you'll be ok:

void mygets(c) char *c;
{
    /* function body */
}

One thing that you will need to watch out for is this. Do not include any system libraries. There's two reasons for this. First, we only get 512 bytes to work with; including libraries would quickly over-run this size limitation. Second, bcc barfs on them anyways and your compile will fail.

To access the functions in the posted assembly file, simply call the function name without the preceding underscore. Don't declare them extern or anything, just use them. Compile both the assembly file and your source file to object files and link them and the calls will work.

Here's an example:

$ bcc -c -Mf -Mc main.c
$ as86 -o boots.o boots.s
$ ld86 -d boots.o main.o /usr/lib/bcc/libc.a

(Make sure to link them in this order too so that the bootstrapper is at the beginning of the image.)

Good luck, post comments if you have any troubles.