Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!ritcv!ccivax!rb
From: rb@ccivax.UUCP (rex ballard)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: fast code and no morals
Message-ID: <367@ccivax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-Jan-86 21:26:48 EST
Article-I.D.: ccivax.367
Posted: Fri Jan 31 21:26:48 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 3-Feb-86 04:51:54 EST
References: <842@megaron.UUCP> <489@zinfandel.UUCP>
Reply-To: rb@ccivax.UUCP (What's in a name ?)
Distribution: net
Organization: CCI Telephony Systems Group,  Rochester NY
Lines: 23
Summary: "Duffs Devices" - more

In article <489@zinfandel.UUCP> berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) writes:
> [very bizarre code involving switches]
>I think I'll name it after myself -- ``Duff's Device'' has a nice ring to it.
>
>It amazes me that after 10 years of writing C there are still little corners
>that I haven't explored fully.  (Actually, I have another revolting way to
>use switches to implement interrupt driven state machines but it's too
>horrid to go into.)
>
>Tom Duff {ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4,...}!alice!td

Sounds kinky, I'd love to see it.

There is a point where 'Religion in Languages' is detremental.  Sure, if
a compiler/machine can produce better code in 'Structured C' than in
'Kludge C', that's great!  I know of only one machine where this is even
close to the case!  Other-wise, there are a few folks writing code for
controllers and things, that needs to be FAST, on a CPU that thinks
a call is an 'invitation to an interrupt'.

Tricks like quick-switches, and even 'function returning pointer to funtion...'
are very necessary.  For a good tutorial in 'Kludge C' look at the source
to Unix (Version 6 is particularly cute).