Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL!TMPLee
From: TMPLee@DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: TML Pascal byte operations
Message-ID: <900203022825.591625@DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL>
Date: 3 Feb 90 02:28:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 16

Does anyone know if the updated TML Pascal handles byte and character
operations better than version 1.50a?  I dissassembled a little of the
code 1.50a generates and even though you have something defined as a
byte or a character it takes up two bytes and uses sixteen bit operands
(despite the fact that the manual says that a variable of type byte is
supposed to only take up one byte, admitting that a character takes up
two).  This includes referencing through a pointer to type byte.  If you
work very hard and define something as an array of packed bytes (e.g.,
var a:packed array [1..1] of byte) you do get the data to take up only
one byte and stores ARE made in 8-bit mode (you see SEP and REP
surrounding them) but data fetches are still 16 bit reads.  The latter
makes it quite a nuisance to do the equivalent of BASIC Peeks on $CXXX
softswitch locations.  (It doesn't help that inline doesn't work right
either.)

TMPLee@dockmaster.ncsc.mil