MacDX and PortAsm/86 assist developers porting Windows code to Macintosh
London, England (29th November 2002)
Coderus Ltd and MicroAPL Ltd are pleased to announce that they are
collaborating to provide solutions for Games Developers who wish to move
games from Xbox or MS-Windows to Macintosh.
Games on Xbox or MS-Windows frequently make use of Microsoft’s DirectX API
calls, and may also contain sections of code written in 80×86 assembly
language, both of which have previously been a bar to porting the code to
Macintosh.
Using the MacDX product from Coderus Ltd, developers can now readily move
code which uses the DirectX API to Macintosh. Most code which uses DirectX
can simply be recompiled and linked to the MacDX libraries.
If the source contains any 80×86 assembler code, developers can now use
MicroAPL’s PortAsm/86 product which automatically translates the 80×86
assembler source, and rewrites it in native PowerPC assembler suitable for
running on the Macintosh. PortAsm’s glue mechanism makes it easy to switch
between functions written in assembler and C.
Mark Thomas, CEO/Technical Director Coderus Ltd, said:
“Since we released MacDX, porting of titles has become a lot easier, but
there are always problematic areas which can delay a project. One such area
is optimized assembly function calls. Presently most developers have to
rewrite these functions by hand, which can be complex and time consuming.
We are very happy to be working with MicroAPL to make their PortAsm product
available to do this work automatically”.
Simon Marsden, Technical Director of MicroAPL Ltd, added:
“The Macintosh has always lagged behind Windows in the number of games
titles available, but Coderus are doing an excellent job in helping redress
the balance. We are excited to be able to help promote the use of MacDX
technology by ensuring that PortAsm and MacDX work together”.
For future information please visit the Coderus and MicroAPL websites:
http://www.coderus.com
http://www.microapl.co.uk
Coderus Ltd was founded in 1998 and is based in Ipswich, England. It
provides unique solutions to common development problems with minimal loss
of performance, as well as cross-platform porting and consultancy services.
Further information on MacDX and services can be found on the company’s web
site http://www.coderus.com.
MicroAPL Ltd was founded in 1979 and is based in England. It specializes in
translation tools and virtual machines for moving existing software to the
new generation of RISC processors, as well as providing consultancy
services in systems development and cross-platform porting. Further
information on PortAsm and other MicroAPL products and services can be
found on the company’s web site http://www.microapl.co.uk.