SCOUG-Programming Mailing List Archives

<< Previous Message << >> Next Message >>

Date:	Mon, 4 Aug 2003 18:27:43 PDT7
From:	Peter Skye <pskye@peterskye.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Programming: Re: Warpstock 2003 Presentation

Content Type: text/plain

Lynn H. Maxson wrote:
>
> "I want instead to see the concrete example."
>
> Peter,
>
> Let me make sure I understand you. You have this fictional
> assembly language programmer who has written an inline sort
> routine in a fictional program. You want me to provide you
> with a real example of a proposed, but non-existent HLL that
> does the same.

"Let me make sure I understand you." Nope, not yet. :))

I want to see some HLL code in any language you choose that does any
processing you choose. I want to see some code which shows off the
benefits you expound on.

> You do, however (and as always), bring up an interesting
> point: whether or not in a specific instance you generate
> inline or out-of-line source. In most current systems you
> cannot use the same code for both. Your assembly language
> programmer cannot. Your HLL programmer cannot.

Sure you can. You jump into the subroutine just past the header and
jump out of it (rather than return from it) based on a flag setting.
It's not a clean way of programming but it's sometimes useful. As one
horrid example I offer the suggestion that you take a look at a lot of
the very early code written in Basic which ran on 8080's. Then there's
some of my old Autocoder (assembler) programs for the 1401 . . .

> The truth is that unless you have implemented a symbolic
> assembler with this meta-programming option your assembly
> language programmer relative to the HLL programmer will
> throw in the towel when it comes to, one, writing each
> source instance, and, two, maintaining them if he wants
> to switch their invocation form over time.

We called them "macros". IOCS (an "assembler macro library") on the
1401 was a pretty good example. You specified a macro name and
parameters and the compiler expanded the macro based on the parameters.
Presto! Instant in-line code. This was back in the mid-60's. :)

> I realise that this places me in danger of writing several
> "theoretical paragraphs relegating a concrete example to
> irrelevance". I have to plead guilty. However, I couldn't
> resist yet another unnecessary implementation limitation
> which impacts the productivity of any programmer, assembly
> language or HLL.

So, umm, I don't get to see any code?

- Peter

=====================================================

To unsubscribe from this list, send an email message
to "steward@scoug.com". In the body of the message,
put the command "unsubscribe scoug-programming".

For problems, contact the list owner at
"rollin@scoug.com".

=====================================================

Return to [ 04 | August | 2003 ]

SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.