Microcode is also alive and well, and not just the Amd 29xx bit slice paradigm. How else would you control (SIMD) mills implemented in FPGA fabric : VLIW. etc etc
Martin -----Original Message----- From: Mike Katz via cctalk [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 17 June 2026 01:54 To: Ken Seefried via cctalk <[email protected]> Cc: Mike Katz <[email protected]> Subject: [cctalk] Re: "It's dead, Jim" Was: Re: Intel 3086 Someone said assembler was dead, I have to disagree. I still program in 6809, 68000, ARM, HP-41 and HP71 assembler from time to time. I've used ARM assembler in my work recently. On 6/16/2026 8:39 PM, Ken Seefried via cctalk wrote: > COBOL...great call. COBOL is dead but it won't lie down, except for > the vast quanties of COBOL still being developed and deployed that you > don't hear about because those guys aren't hanging out on social media > posting their latest vibecoded trivia. We're on the...what...30th > iteration since the late 80s of "we have the magic beans that will > translate your COBOL code into <new hot language du jour> so your > business logic will totally without fail port over (pinky swear) and > you don't have to pay for those smelly old mainframe coders but only > fresh young (cheap) newbies". How'd that work out the previous 29 > times; I'm sure rubbing AI on it will work this time. > > I have had depressingly many conversations (including people who > should know better) where the other side absolutely refused to believe > that IBM still makes (lots) of money on mainframes (you can google > it...there are SEC filings), much less that the financial I worked for > was spending high-9-figures on our mainframe install (in 2026). Some > people think StackOverflow, Twitter and HN and the rest are the only > true source of truth and if the echo chamber says it, it has to be true. > > These are the same people who think the US$25B ARM market has > decisively destroyed the US$100-125B+ x86 market (amount depending on > source), which is without a doubt dead/zombie, no question, who do it > with a straight face and no sense of shame. > > Like I said...trolls and children (actual age irrelevant).
