Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!granite.pa.dec.com!mellon From: mellon@zayante.pa.dec.com (Ted Lemon) Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix Subject: Re: VAX assembler/emulator? Message-ID: Date: 22 Feb 90 08:44:28 GMT References: <6264@hydra.gatech.EDU> Sender: news@decwrl.dec.com Followup-To: comp.unix.ultrix Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 27 In-reply-to: tharen@prism.gatech.edu's message of 22 Feb 90 05:12:05 GMT >We're thinking about upgrading our current VS2000 cluster to a cluster >of DS3100s, but have a little problem... > >One of the more important functions of this cluster is our Computer >Science assembler language course. So... we're wondering if anyone >has heard of a VAX (or just PDP-11) cross assembler/emulation package >that's out there... Perhaps this is a bit obvious, but I can't think of a better project to teach people about how computers really work than to write a machine emulator and assembler. If you don't buy that argument, though, and you can talk the instructor in question into moving to the Intel architecture, there's a program available for the DECstation series called SoftPC, which emulates an 80386 IBM PC system, and even runs MS-DOS (oh, boy!). At least the Intel processor is a CISC machine. BTW, if you manage to make this switch happen, the difference in speed will *blow your mind*! I still occasionally have to set up VS2000s for people within our organization, and the difference in time that it takes just to install a new aliases database is mind-blowing. Of course, I work for the organization that produced the DECstation 3100, so I suppose I'm a little bit biased. _MelloN_