Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!osh3!chip
From: chip@osh3.OSHA.GOV (Chip Yamasaki)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.asm370
Subject: Re: why code in 370 Assembler
Message-ID: <1991Apr24.045329.17509@osh3.OSHA.GOV>
Date: 24 Apr 91 04:53:29 GMT
References: <1991Apr17.120304.16874@mtu.edu> <1612@msa3b.UUCP> <1991Apr23.190810.16593@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Organization: U.S. D.O.L - Occupational Safety & Health Admin.
Lines: 48

In <1991Apr23.190810.16593@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> phil@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Phil Howard KA9WGN) writes:

>kevin@msa3b.UUCP (Kevin P. Kleinfelter) writes:

>>matt@mtu.edu (Matthew T. Kromer) writes:

>>In fact, I believe C to be a LOWER level language than 370 BAL. After all,
>>BAL has a block move instruction (MVC or MVCL) where C has to call a
>>SUBROUTINE to move a block (movemem or strcpy). Pre-ANSI C and BAL do about
>>the same level of error checking. :-)

>But that makes C fit my definition of a HIGH level language.

>You see, the difference between low level and high level, as I think of
>it anyway, is NOT how much you can do in one instruction, but rather
>how much control you have over HOW things are done.  C gives you LESS
>control because you don't get to choose the precise instruction.  Higher
>languages like Pascal and ADA give you even less control and that lack
>of control starts to span over into things like data representation itself.

One question though.  It has been a long time since I took a 370 ALC
course in school (and I didn't know then either), but does that MVC/MVCL
instruction resolve to 1 machine code instruction?  If so, then I
suppose you're right.  If not then you're back to square one.

In C your could code your own routine to move int's or unsigned chars to
do something very similar, but why would you want to.

Also the one programmer here who does write ALC always uses a huge
library of ALC routines and macros.  Isn't that about the same as
calling a function in C?

Don't get me wrong, the programs I wrote in class were very rudimentary,
but I do remember the assignments as being fun.  I also enjoy ASM on the
PC.  I just think that any language, HL or LL, can be fun if you just
get into the "spirit" of it (even BASIC or COBOL).

As far as human languages are concerned I am not multi-lingual, but I
understand that it is not "easy" or "fun" to speak French without first
thinking like a Frenchman.  ;-)
-- 
--
Charles "Chip" Yamasaki
chip@oshcomm.osha.gov
-- 
--
Charles "Chip" Yamasaki
chip@oshcomm.osha.gov