It looks like Big Blue has another present for the Macintosh community. This time, the surprise is for developers. IBM has released a free OS X beta version of its XL C/C++ V.6.0 compilers to exploit the new G5 microprocessor.
The compilers, which are for the C, C++ and Fortran languages, are based on IBMis existing VisualAge C++ for its UNIX-based AIX operating system.
According to the IBM Web page, VisualAge C++ V6.0 for AIX generates efficient, high performance software that supports both 32 and 64-bit architectures. It also includes tools for high program optimization and performance, including the ability to tune the code for specific PowerPC processors.
The XL C/C++ V.6.0 compiler package can be downloaded from IBMis Web site.
IBM representatives were not available for comment as of press time.