ld -v # Output should contain "cctools-65"
The macro assembler ca65 has also seen a steady stream of improvements. The most recent fix (November 2025) corrected the handling of the ( .not / ! ). Previously, the operator only worked correctly when it appeared at the very beginning of a full expression; elsewhere it could produce unexpected results. The fix not only resolves that bug but also added new unit tests to prevent future regressions.
: Pass the explicit page alignment flag to your compiler driver: -Wl,-pagezero_size,10000 or adjust the segment alignment parameters in your build script. Conclusion
This will give you the current HEAD, with all the recent optimizer improvements and assembler fixes.
By the time of (released with Xcode 2.0 / Tiger in 2005), the toolchain had undergone nearly five years of active Darwin development. Prior versions (cctools 5xx series) were buggy and slow on large PowerPC binaries. Version 65 represents a hardening: it was the first version where Apple’s ld (the static linker) could reliably link the massive WebKit framework or the sprawling kernel extensions of Darwin 8.0 without crashing. It was the “production-ready” PowerPC linker.
: Legally obtain the necessary macOS or iOS SDKs via Xcode or official Apple distribution channels.
If you’ve ever waited minutes for a large iOS app to link, will feel like a breath of fresh air.
Moving to cctools 65 is straightforward but requires validating your existing cluster automation scripts.
: Requires libmacho (usually included in the same tarball) and a recent C compiler (Clang recommended).
Cctools 65 New [top] Jun 2026
ld -v # Output should contain "cctools-65"
The macro assembler ca65 has also seen a steady stream of improvements. The most recent fix (November 2025) corrected the handling of the ( .not / ! ). Previously, the operator only worked correctly when it appeared at the very beginning of a full expression; elsewhere it could produce unexpected results. The fix not only resolves that bug but also added new unit tests to prevent future regressions.
: Pass the explicit page alignment flag to your compiler driver: -Wl,-pagezero_size,10000 or adjust the segment alignment parameters in your build script. Conclusion cctools 65 new
This will give you the current HEAD, with all the recent optimizer improvements and assembler fixes.
By the time of (released with Xcode 2.0 / Tiger in 2005), the toolchain had undergone nearly five years of active Darwin development. Prior versions (cctools 5xx series) were buggy and slow on large PowerPC binaries. Version 65 represents a hardening: it was the first version where Apple’s ld (the static linker) could reliably link the massive WebKit framework or the sprawling kernel extensions of Darwin 8.0 without crashing. It was the “production-ready” PowerPC linker. ld -v # Output should contain "cctools-65" The
: Legally obtain the necessary macOS or iOS SDKs via Xcode or official Apple distribution channels.
If you’ve ever waited minutes for a large iOS app to link, will feel like a breath of fresh air. Previously, the operator only worked correctly when it
Moving to cctools 65 is straightforward but requires validating your existing cluster automation scripts.
: Requires libmacho (usually included in the same tarball) and a recent C compiler (Clang recommended).