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From: skinner@saturn.ucsc.edu (Robert Skinner)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.forth,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Assembly or ....
Message-ID: <5596@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Date: 28 Nov 88 19:32:27 GMT
References: <1388@aucs.UUCP> <729@convex.UUCP> <1961@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Reply-To: skinner@saturn.ucsc.edu (Robert Skinner)
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
Lines: 39

In article <1961@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> orr@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Fraser Orr) writes:
>In article <729@convex.UUCP> dodson@mozart.UUCP (Dave Dodson) writes:
>>I believe it is important to learn assembly language for some computer
>>because that is how you learn how computers _really_ work.  This knowledge
>>can help you program better in any language.
>
>Do you think it is important to understand how transistors work as well?
>The semantic level of most mircoprocessors is high enough that
>learning a HLL is pretty much sufficient these days (compare 68000 asm
>to C for example.) In the good old days, when men were men and transistors
>were valves, I think your statment was true. 

I have to agree with Dodson to some extent:  It is often useful to
understande how the *next* lowest level works.
	
	*  When I was designing logic, knowing how the individual
	transistors worked sometimes got me out of trouble.

	*  When I was writting assembly, it was useful to know about
	machine code, and how the processor actually executed the
	instruction.

	*  When I write "High Level" C, knowing how the underlying
	assembly works deduce the problem at times.  I can sometimes
	examine the assembly output and debug faster than looking at
	the C source.

	*  And now when I program in C++, I occasionally benefit from
	looking at the C output.

I think that they call this having a foundation in the basics.
I have seen this kind of foundation help students I've worked with,
and it has certainly helped me.

Robert Skinner
skinner@saturn.ucsc.edu
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