Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!altos!altos86!rcollins From: rcollins@altos86.Altos.COM (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer Subject: Re: Microsoft Assembler Complaints Message-ID: <4461@altos86.Altos.COM> Date: 4 Dec 90 16:37:24 GMT References: <9078@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <1990Nov20.141330.13358@polyof.poly.edu> <9109@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <59413@microsoft.UUCP> <9385@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <9393@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> Reply-To: rcollins@altos86.UUCP (Robert Collins) Organization: Altos Computer Systems, San Jose, CA Lines: 38 In article <9393@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> c164-bd@cordelia.UUCP (John D. Mitchell) writes: >If they can produce an assembler that's as fast as the current version >of TASM and is as easy to use then I'll check it out. No more >quirky bugs, inconsistent macros, etc. (Good luck! :-) > Disclaimer: I'm one of the worst M-Soft bashers around...but... I can work around the bugs in MASM 5.1. The bugs in TASM 2.0 are show-stoppers to me. I can't use it. Just don't try and use TASM (or TLINK) with USE32 code, 32-bit equates, or 32-bit variables. TASM simply, and without warning clears the upper 16-bits. For example: PromBase equ 0FFFC0000h FOO DD PromBase + FOO2 ; TLINK truncates as 00000206h ; in the LINK process. FOO1 DW PromBase MOD 10000h ; Tasm BARFS with an error FOO2 DW PromBase / 10000h ; Tasm BARFS with an error If you're doing any type of 32-bit code, or protected mode programming where you would like all your descriptor tables to be built dynamically, then TASM won't be able to do it. These are total show-stoppers. I've called Borland, and got a guy on tech-support that said something like: "If our engineers determine this to be an error, they MIGHT fix it...depending on how serious they think it is." Speed is nothing without proper functionality. Hey, I've got the fastest computer in the world! It does an infinite loop in just 3.2 seconds! -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ...!sun!altos86!rcollins HOME: (408) 225-8002 WORK: (408) 432-6200 x4356