Re: [TUHS] Need a new PDP-11 or VAX? - TUHS

30 Apr 2013

Larry McVoy said:
On Apr 28, 2013, at 7:00 PM, tuhs-request(a)minnie.tuhs.org wrote:

...
  We build source management systems and we still drop
into assembler for
 some stuff.  For example, we want to give ourselves a stack traceback
 when something dies.  Another example is inner loops that are performance
 critical, we stare at the assembler. 
I don't mind staring at the assembly, I just don't want to hand crank it any
longer. :-/

I'll spend quite some time fussing with the compiler and optimization flags to get
loops to run at maximum speed before I'll take the assembly in hand to 'make it
right.'

For stack traces, I've found the GNU compiler support for stack tracing quite handy
and for my company it works quite well.

On the discussion of x86 assembly, I have to agree that it is horrific. I'll take ARM
(and I have done context switchers and trap handers in ARM) any time.

	David Barto

/my name in your iPhone, it is more likely than you think.