Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site redwood.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hpda!fortune!rhino!redwood!rpw3 From: rpw3@redwood.UUCP (Rob Warnock) Newsgroups: net.lang.pascal,net.lang.c Subject: Re: optimizing compilers vs. optimizing programmers Message-ID: <126@redwood.UUCP> Date: Wed, 16-Jan-85 22:22:44 EST Article-I.D.: redwood.126 Posted: Wed Jan 16 22:22:44 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 03:34:52 EST References: <285@harvard.ARPA> <4922@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: [Consultant], Foster City, CA Lines: 29 Xref: watmath net.lang.pascal:202 net.lang.c:3967 +--------------- | In the end, VMS got written mostly in assembler anyway (unless they have | gone and re-coded later version, which I doubt, but stranger things | have happened). I have it from several sources that the reason this | happened was because a certain prominent DEC individual decided that | no compiler could write code as good as his assembler (ie it wouldn't | be fast enough). So much for consistency... | Laura Creighton | utzoo!laura +--------------- My understanding is that there was a single kernel guru who stood in the way, even after several code-offs had shown that BLISS-32 was as fast (AND as small) as assembler. So the kernel is in assembler, but the system utilities and some of the driver ACPs are in BLISS. (The VAX really is a "BLISS machine".) Ironically, BLISS-32 ran native on the VAX long before the assembler did -- the assembler was written in PDP-11 assembler, and was used for a long time from PDP-11 compatibilty mode. I believe the current assembler is written in BLISS (no?). Rob Warnock Systems Architecture Consultant UUCP: {ihnp4,ucbvax!dual}!fortune!redwood!rpw3 DDD: (415)572-2607 USPS: 510 Trinidad Lane, Foster City, CA 94404