Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!usc!orion.oac.uci.edu!cedman From: cedman@golem.ps.uci.edu (Carl Edman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: What's Wrong with ARP!!!! Message-ID: Date: 15 Nov 90 18:56:48 GMT References: <114.273F7E66@myamiga.UUCP> <1990Nov14.034507.19784@hoss.unl.edu> <7039@sugar.hackercorp.com> <90318.162021DXB132@psuvm.psu.edu> <1990Nov15.160222.23856@maytag.waterloo.edu> Organization: University of California, Irvine, USA. Lines: 40 Nntp-Posting-Host: lynx.ps.uci.edu In-reply-to: himacdon@maytag.uwaterloo.ca's message of 15 Nov 90 16:02:22 GMT In article <1990Nov15.160222.23856@maytag.waterloo.edu> himacdon@maytag.uwaterloo.ca (Hamish Macdonald) writes: >>>>> In article , >>>>> cedman@golem.ps.uci.edu (Carl Edman) writes: Carl> And now using assembler is a "big no-no" ? What is the world coming to ? Today's CPUs are becoming more and more complicated, making it more difficult to write correct assembler code (especially RISC CPUs, or a multiprocessor environment, or a combination of the two). Of course, the compiler writers have similar problems in ensuring that the code their compilers generate is correct, but at least that is done in only one place, not in every program you write (I know, I know, it is difficult if not impossible to _prove_ that a compiler generates correct code in all instances...) In any case, compilation by a C compiler followed either by hand-optimization of the assembly code generated (if any), or by going back to the code and re-coding inefficient-generated or most-used sections should get you both the fast-development time and the program performance you require. I absolutely agree. This is the way I've been doing it since many years. If you've got a good C compiler then programming much of the "driving" software in C is excuseable, and maybe even the users benefit from having a better program. You can get 90% of the speed by in the end "down-coding" the critical portions (tight loops a.s.o.). What I really objected to was the idea that if some group of idealistic and very good programmers actually goes to such lengths to produce the optimal code for their users , this is called a "big no-no". Carl Edman Theorectical Physicist,N.:A physicist whose | Send mail existence is postulated, to make the numbers | to balance but who is never actually observed | cedman@golem.ps.uci.edu in the laboratory. | edmanc@uciph0.ps.uci.edu