>> In the time that every byte and clock cycle counted (1984)
>> the people at Microsoft could do it, just look at some of the BIOS and
>> disk ROM code. Not all of it is that good, but some parts are really
>> creative. One example from the diskROM code: (I don't know if it is
>> Microsoft or ASCII to thank)
>>
>> label1: OR A
>> JR C ; offset is not included
>> label2: SCF
>> <routine>
>>
>> The 'OR A' resets the carry flag as a side effect. Then the 'JR C'
doesn't
>> jump. In that way the 'SCF' (Set Carry Flag) is skipped because the Z80
>> thinks it is the offset of the 'JR C' instruction. The normal way to do
>> this is longer and slower:
Yes. Microsoft still uses this kind of tricks. Using side effects of
functions
and things like that. The only problem nowadays is that their
projects/programs
are very big and made and maintained by very many people. So, what happens
in reality: some genious programmer hacks some fast code together whith
much
side effects. Then, a month later, that same program is worked on by
somebody
else who changes one of the functions (and as such changes some of the
undocumented side effects) and yet another bug is born!
Why else do you think that for example MS-Windows 3.x was so unstable? And
why
their 'real' OS called Windows NT is also unstable?
But anyway, this is no anti-microsoft flaming list. There are other mailing
lists and newsgroups for that purpose (yes, they really exist :-), so I
will
cut this crap...
Best regards,
Alex
