Norcroft C compiler

The Norcroft C compiler (also referred to as the Norcroft compiler suite) in computing is a portable set of C/C++ programming tools written by Codemist, available for a wide range of processor architectures.^[1]^[2]

Original authorCodemist Limited

LicenceProprietary commercial software

Websitewww.codemist.co.uk/ncc/

Quick facts Original author, Licence ...

Norcroft C compiler
Original author	Codemist Limited
Licence	Proprietary commercial software
Website	www.codemist.co.uk/ncc/

Norcroft C was developed by Codemist, established in November 1987^[3] by a group of academics from the University of Cambridge and University of Bath;^[4]^[5] Arthur Norman, Alan Mycroft and John Fitch. Development took place from at least 1985;^[6]^[7] the company was dissolved in May 2016.^[3] The name Norcroft is derived from the original authors' surnames.^[8]

Supported architectures

Acorn C/C++

Acorn C/C++ was released for the RISC OS operating system, developed in collaboration with Acorn Computers.^[1]^[9]

Apple MessagePad NewtonOS

A 1996 version of the Norcroft C/C++ tools was part of the Newton C++ Toolbox (NCT) and the Driver Developers Kit (Lantern DDK).^[10]

INMOS Transputer C Compiler

This compiler for the INMOS Transputer was developed in collaboration with Perihelion Software.^[9]

Cambridge Consultants XAP

This compiler for Cambridge Consultants' XAP processor is another Norcroft compiler.^[9]

References

[1]
"Interview with Ian Johnson". CAUGers. ACCU. Archived from the original on 2006-06-01. Retrieved 2011-06-30. Acorn began work on ANSI C compilers around 1987. C release 3 was made in 1989, and was followed by Desktop C and Desktop Assembler in 1991. The development of the compiler was a joint venture between Norcroft (at the time Arthur Norman and Alan Mycroft--two academics from Cambridge University Computing Labs) and the PLG at Acorn. Sources were regularly exchanged between both parties but, generally, Norcroft were responsible for adherence to the emerging ANSI standard, whilst Acorn concentrated on the RISC OS specifics of the C library and on common subexpression elimination, register allocation and peephole optimisation for the ARM.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
[2]
Singer, Jeremy; Smith, Lee (2026). "The Norcroft Compiler at Arm". Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 15500: 3–13. doi:10.1007/978-3-032-08187-2_1.
[3]
"Officers - Codemist Limited, Company number 02197915". Companies House. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
[4]
"Codemist Ltd". Bath, UK: Codemist. 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-21. Codemist is owned and operated by a group of university academics from Bath and Cambridge.
[5]
Alan Mycroft (April 29, 1988). "Query about C compilers on IBM 370s". Newsgroup: comp.lang.c. Usenet: 997@ima.ISC.COM. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
[6]
"John fitch". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
[7]
"Codemist Compilers / Norcroft". Codemist. 2010-08-22. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
[8]
Mogensen, Torben (2011-05-27). "Hindbærtærte" [Raspberry Tart] (in Danish). Version2. Retrieved 2011-07-12. [...] Norcroft Compiler (navnet er en sammentrækning af Norman og Mycroft) [...]
[9]
"Codemist Compilers / Norcroft". Bath, UK: Codemist Ltd. 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-21. We have created C compilers for a range of computers, from mainframes to embedded special purpose chips. [...] the following partial list will give an idea of the range of our output. Acorn Computers ARM C Compiler. This is the original ANSI C compiler known as Norcroft C.
[10]
"Newton FAQ: Development". newtonfaq.com. Retrieved 2025-10-06.