Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!toddpw
From: toddpw@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Re- HLLs vs. Assembly
Message-ID: <1991Apr13.031539.3833@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 13 Apr 91 03:15:39 GMT
References: <9104060651.AA18946@apple.com> <1991Apr6.100927.21953@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <1991Apr9.150402.563@latcs2.lat.oz.au> <15782@smoke.brl.mil> <6965@rex.cs.tulane.edu> <1991Apr10.203703.21010@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <7007@rex.cs.tulane.edu>
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 39

lang@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Raymond Lang) writes:

>In <1991Apr10.203703.21010@nntp-server.caltech.edu> toddpw@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) writes:
>>Yes, but modifying the program to improve performance requires

>>       (a) better overall algorithms &/or data structures
>>       (b) knowledge about the hardware and what the compiler will produce

>I don't follow how (a) comes from experience in assembly language.

It doesn't. I just didn't want to ignore that and have somebody waste all our
time calling me on it.

>>Writing portable code that compiles well on your machine is generally the
>>best way to go; only when performance or coding time is more important than
>>portability should assembly be used

>Seems to me an HLL would be better when coding time is limited. I would say
>it a little stronger: only when performance is more important than
>_every_other_consideration_ should assembly be used.

That's what I meant, when coding time is limited. Actually limited coding
time is sometimes a reason to throw a dash of assembly in the middle of a
project, so you don't have to spend lots of time figuring out the HLL
expression for what you want to do. This is only valid for projects that
aren't intended to be portable, of course.

>Knowledge of assembly is certainly useful, which I'm sure is why it's
>part of almost all computer science curriculums. But frankly, I think
>there are a lot of considerations that make it an inappropriate choice for
>most projects.

Few of us (and I certainly am not) arguing against that, at least not any more.
What I am still arguing for is the idea that knowing assembly on ANY machine
gives you a big edge over other HLL programmers who are assembly-ignorant,
and that there are way too many assembly-ignorant programmers out there.

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu