Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!topaz!@RUTGERS.ARPA:BRYAN@SU-SIERRA.ARPA From: @RUTGERS.ARPA:BRYAN@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Newsgroups: net.works Subject: assembly v.s. HOL Message-ID: <1220@topaz.ARPA> Date: Tue, 16-Apr-85 02:25:48 EST Article-I.D.: topaz.1220 Posted: Tue Apr 16 02:25:48 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Apr-85 03:47:02 EST Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 34 From: Doug Bryan The recent traffic concerning assembly v.s. a HOL illustrates one of the major causes of the software crisis as we know it today (in a phrase, the software crisis is: the cost of hardware is steadily decreasing while the cost of software is steadily increasing). Namely, the problem is that many competent programmers still consider code size and execution speed to be the major qualities of "good code". Granted there are still a number of solution domains where size and speed are very important but these are becoming fewer and fewer by the day thanks to our friends in EE (256k and 1m memory chips, MC68020 size micros...). The majority of the cost of software lies in maintenance. Thus, in the industry as a whole, readability and understandability become the major qualities of "good code". If you cannot maintain it, it is going to cost a great deal. Laura Creighton made a similar point in her recent message. I have no doubt that Doug Pardee is an excellent assembly programmer but we need to remember that he is of an endangered species. The vast majority of working programmers today don't even fully understand concepts like pointer values and parallel processing. How many other programmers, even in your own shop Doug, can read and understand your tight, hand-optimized code? Programs written in a HOL are more readable and understandable to the masses; therefore they cost less; therefore they are better programs. I hope I haven't over reacted to an interesting discussion on code generation optimization. doug bryan -------