Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!UTCVM.BITNET!MQUINN From: MQUINN@UTCVM.BITNET Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: Re- HLLs vs. Assembly Message-ID: <9104060651.AA18946@apple.com> Date: 6 Apr 91 06:33:57 GMT References: Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 54 On Fri, 5 Apr 91 11:39:40 LCL Joe Luzzi said: >I agree 100%! Assembly is basically touched upon and that's it in most >Computer Science curriculums. I wish I had the opportunity Randy's students >had. This is true. I'm taking a VAX assembly course now. It's great, but my professor prevents us from doing as much as I'd like. His attitude is, "Well, you'll probably never use assembly (he calls it assemblER) language after you get out of this class." ^^ >I think Computer Science students shouldn't graduate without adequate assemlby >coding experience. I'm not saying to drop the emphasis of High Level >langauges, but to add more classes requiring assembly coding. Programmers who >know assemlby, I believe, are better programmers overall since they are more in >tune with how the computer works. This is true too. Knowing assembly, you know the limitations of the machine your working on (and sometimes machines you're not all that familiar with). This is very important when doveleping software. One person I work with doesn't even know what assembly is (she barely knows what a HLL is either). I have to spend half of my time at work explaining to here why something will or won't work because she knows nothing about the limitations of the machine. Also, another person I work with just graduated with a degree in computer science. Computers are his life. He knows all about HLLs but he doesn't understand why alot of things work or why they don't work, because he doesn't understand assembly language or the limitations of the hardware. [by the way, he's a mac guru]. I have to explain to him how his mac works, and I hardly know anything about the mac. It's all because he was 'raised' on nothing but HLLs, GUIs, and macs. Computer Science courses should begin with explaining computers from the bit level and working their way up. By the time the students get to the HLLs, data structures, files, etc..., they should have virtually no problems undterstanding those concepts and how they came to be, and what the limitations are. Unfortunately, most computer science courses are tought in the opposite direction... HLL first, then, when you've had enough of it for several years, they'll give you just a tainted taste of assembly. It makes it very difficult for students to understand all these intangible concepts without first knowing how they came about. >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >Joe M. Luzzi > >Internet: Joe@CSU.FULLERTON.EDU >BITNET: LJMLUZZ@CALSTATE.EDU > >GENIE : JM.LUZZI >AOL : JMLUZZI >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ---------------------------------------- BITNET-- mquinn@utcvm <------------send files here pro-line-- mquinn@pro-gsplus.cts.com