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From: preece@uicsl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Self-modifying code - (nf)
Message-ID: <4769@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Jan-84 22:33:09 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.4769
Posted: Wed Jan  4 22:33:09 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Jan-84 02:32:57 EST
Lines: 20

#R:mit-eddi:-109600:uicsl:6200003:000:761
uicsl!preece    Jan  4 12:24:00 1984

----------
	Most decent programming languages provide no way to create
	self-modifying code. ...
	...	Only in assembler
	can you use self-modifying code and KNOW that you are actually gaining
	in performance by it, but who programs in assembler these days?
----------
I think your impression of assembler's death is exaggerated. Even if that
were not the case, however, most of us write code that compilers turn
into assembler; there's no reason the compiler couldn't generate code
using such tricks (there are instances when a self-modifying program is
a very natural expression of what the program is doing, the example that
comes to mind being the simple gate that closes itself after the first
time through a loop).

scott preece
ihnp4!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece