Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c++:2114 comp.lang.c:14361 comp.lang.forth:667 comp.lang.fortran:1533 comp.lang.misc:2189 Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mailrus!ames!pasteur!agate!saturn!skinner 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 -- ---- this is a test