[bondolo]

I used this compiler for years and eventually came to be able to “decompile” the 68k object code it produced back to C code in my head on the fly unless the function was too large. Using MacNosy I could rebuild the C source for an app in usually only a couple of hours. I had a script that converted a MacNosy file of an app into an assembler file and rsrc file and I could translate functions to C one at a time while having a buildable app equivalent to the original. I originally used the tools for hacking games but sometimes used it to fix bugs.

The MPW C compiler code generation was so predictable in part because of the symmetry of the 68k instruction set. They wrote a simple compiler and it worked. For the most part effort was spent elsewhere. Since you could reasonably predict what code would be generated if you were unhappy with the code generation you fixed the source. I like that the javac compiler has a similar ethos, With similar effect. Once you know the patterns to use you can generate fairly close to optimal byte code.