Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!bu.edu!polygen!jerry From: jerry@polygen.uucp (Jerry Shekhel) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: Choosing a language (ML vs HLL) Message-ID: <1073@stewart.UUCP> Date: 3 May 91 16:16:01 GMT References: <8867@crash.cts.com> Reply-To: jerry@stewart.UUCP (Jerry Shekhel) Organization: Polygen Corporation, Waltham, MA Lines: 44 psonnek@pro-mansion.cts.com (Patrick Sonnek) writes: > >A lot of HLL programmers are poorer programmers than Assembler programers, >they lack the sophistication to program in assembler, they don't comprehend >internals of the computer so any assembler code that they would write is full >of bugs, and does take a long time to debug. And because they insist that the >Assembler has to fit into their HLL world, it dosn't even run all that fast. > This whole article is the biggest bunch of bull I've ever read. NO language ever made it difficult to write BAD programs. Assembler programmers don't make HLL programmers look silly, but GOOD programmers make BAD programmers look silly. The programming language makes no difference. > >And those HLL programmers who do understand all the internals, are for the >most part to lazy to program good assembler. > GOOD programmers that use HLLs can write HLL programs that are just as fast and efficient as GOOD assembler programs. They choose HLLs over assembler not because they are too lazy, but because that's what they prefer, period. The other issue is portability. In this world of new hardware coming out every few days and super-optimizing compilers, the only programmers for whom it's sensible to use assembler are the ones who work for the hardware manufacturers writing the lowest-level OS kernel routines. > > <> > <> > You're right. Real programmers use on-off switches to enter compressed archives of binary code directly. -- +-------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------+ | JERRY J. SHEKHEL | POLYGEN CORPORATION | When I was young, I had to walk | | Drummers do it... | Waltham, MA USA | to school and back every day -- | | ... In rhythm! | (617) 890-2175 | 20 miles, uphill both ways. | +-------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------+ | ...! [ princeton mit-eddie bu sunne ] !polygen!jerry | | jerry@polygen.com | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+